Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to announce funding for a multipurpose stadium in Hobart, which would fulfil the AFL’s requirements for a 19th team in Tasmania.
WIN News Tasmania’s Brent Costelloe reported on Tuesday that the Albanese Government is set to commit $240 million towards the proposed Macquarie Point stadium, out of a total projected cost of $750 million.
Previous plans submitted to a state government inquiry suggested that a fixed roof was to be part of the proposed structure, but Costelloe reports that the roof has now been canned from the final design.
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The AFL is still reportedly awaiting official confirmation from the Commonwealth Government ahead of the May 9 budget.
Costelloe told SEN Breakfast on Tuesday morning that he expected an imminent announcement from the Prime Minister.
“This timeline could absolutely change given we’re dealing with the Prime Minister and his schedule … but as we sit here this morning, I’m expecting a pre-budget announcement within the next week and the funding from that point to be delivered,” Costelloe said.
“We’re going to have around a 23,000-seat stadium … I’m not sure it’s going to have a roof, that’s the other mail I have which could be interesting.
“We heard recently that you can’t play Test cricket under a roof, that’s part of the ICC rules. We’re going to have to play Test cricket at this venue to make it viable.
“They were talking about a Perspex permanent roof at one point, a retractable roof is going to cost you $300 million more.
“Again, why do we need a roof? I think part of the beauty of the footy in the middle of winter is going and getting rugged up and keeping warm.
“It’d be a nice luxury, but do we need it? We’ve got one stadium in the country with a roof, Marvel Stadium, so not sure it’s required, to be honest.”
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff and predecessor Peter Gutwein both made it clear their support was contingent on the venue being suitable for more than just football.
A Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry into the process around the stadium unpacked the issue, with Cricket Tasmania CEO Dominic Baker telling the inquiry that the International Cricket Council’s conditions for international cricket were “pretty clearly outlined”.
Mr Baker also told the inquiry that an alternative expansion of Hobart’s Blundstone Arena, in the residential eastern suburb of Bellerive, was not feasible owing to the impact on nearby homes.
The inquiry last month heard that the roof concept was devised by the state government, and was not a precondition set by the AFL on support for a proposed stadium.
Kim Evans, Secretary of the Department of State Growth, told the inquiry that the roof idea was first floated by former Premier Gutwein.
“We saw that as a particularly important differentiator of our stadium from other stadiums in the country, particularly when you start to think about it in the broader context in terms of the other uses, including concerts and including the sorts of conference and other events,” he said.
“It makes sense that we have a stadium so, we have deliberately focused on a stadium with a roof.”
Asked whether it was the former Premier’s proposal to include a roof, Mr Evans replied “certainly”.
“It was part of his Regatta Point proposal,” he said.
The state Liberal government have pledged $375 million towards a new stadium, while the state Labor opposition and state Greens oppose the plan on the basis of cost.
Critics of the stadium argue that Bellerive Oval and Launceston’s York Park are currently fit for purpose, and that a new stadium is an unnecessary cost in the context of Tasmania’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Tasmanian Greens leader Cassy O’Connor told parliament last month that the AFL should give Tasmania the 19th license without a new stadium.
“Tasmania is one of the founding football states and has a long history of making rich contributions to the national game,” she said.
“We deserve a team of our own without having to make taxpayers pay for a stadium – something no other state has had to do to get a team.
“Our case to join the league is inarguable. We have earned it.
“We deserve our own teams and we deserve not to be saddled with a billion-dollar stadium, a half-billion-dollar debt, an eyesore on the waterfront and two existing, perfectly good stadiums that become white elephants.”
Hawthorn captain James Sicily told RSN Breakfast that he understood the challenges a Tasmanian team would have in recruiting.
“I think so, particularly as a young guy … I couldn’t picture myself living there … It would be hard,” Sicily said.
Hawthorn currently have an ongoing partnership with the Tasmanian government worth $13.5 million that sees them play four home games a season in Launceston.
The Minister for Infrastructure has been contacted for comment.
