Tasmanians protesting the decision to build a stadium for the state’s AFL team have been warned the deal remains conditional on the new venue’s construction.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan reiterated the league’s position that it would not go ahead with the issuing of a 19th licence if the proposed waterfront stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart fell through.
Two Tasmanian Liberal MPs resigned on Friday due to their opposition to the stadium, throwing the state government into a minority and clouding the future of Premier Jeremy Rockliff and the new venue.
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McLachlan said he would not wade into what he called a “Tasmanian political issue” but added the state could not have an AFL team without the stadium.
“There’s clearly some heavy politics going on down there and it’s reasonable for individuals and others to have their views,” he said.
“I would think the deal, the opportunity to have a Tasmanian team is significant and right before the people of Tasmania.
“It’s now an arrangement that if you want an AFL team, it comes with a stadium. Now people have their views about that, but it’s now funded and funded by the state government in part, which is what people are talking about.
“There’s $360m going down there from the AFL, there’s $305m coming from the federal government, and it is something that comes together, you can’t have one without the other and it’s actually a moment that will actually change Tasmania.”
There were two clear examples of new stadiums revitalising cities that McLachlan said opponents of the venue had to look towards.
“The people who are not convinced of that, again I will refer you to Adelaide Oval and South Australia, I’ll refer you to Optus Stadium and Perth,” he said.
“It’s easy to oppose things, it’s easy to point to alternate uses of capital, but actually the business case around this about tourism, construction, economic impact, pride, there’s a demonstrated business case.”
Tasmanian Opposition Leader Rebecca White said on Monday the party wanted to see the details of the Rockliff government’s deal with the AFL, claiming the licence being contingent on a new stadium could be a bluff.
“There’s a clear opportunity now for Jeremy Rockliff to release details this week about what kind of secret deal he signed up to with the AFL,” Ms White said.
“We don’t understand why the licence appears to have linked with the stadium and we want to see the deal to see whether that is the case or whether somebody is bluffing here.”
Mr Rockliff hit back on Tuesday, telling ABC Radio it was “fanciful” the state could have a team without a new stadium.
“The AFL have been clear that we need the stadium to ensure our Tasmanian AFL team is viable for the long term,” he said.
“Any suggestion we can have a team without a stadium is just fanciful. It will not happen.
“Without the stadium, the team is dead, as are over 4000 jobs and billions into our economy.”
