Latest news with #MacquariePoint
ABC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Tasmanian Labor consulting on 'right process' for Macquarie Point stadium approval
Tasmanian Labor says it is trying to understand what the "right approval process" is for the Macquarie Point stadium, suggesting it may walk back its support for the fast-track process currently in place. The $945 million proposed waterfront stadium is being assessed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission as a Project of State Significance (POSS). But the government and others involved in the project fear the project will be unable to meet the strict timelines set out by the AFL. In June, knowing it had the support of Labor, the Liberal government introduced special legislation that would have allowed the project to bypass the planning system. It was due to be debated later this month. Instead, following a no-confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff, Tasmania is facing its fourth election in seven years. Now, Labor appears to be reconsidering its support for the legislation. When asked at a press conference if Labor would be pursuing the enabling legislation, leader Dean Winter said the party was "consulting" with stakeholders about the right process. "We need to make sure that we can get this thing built," said Mr Winter. "We've looked at the legislation and also understood from Legislative councillors that there are some real challenges there, so we'll be making announcements around that following consultation." The Legislative Council is ruled by independents and minor parties at a nine-to-six split, meaning even with both major parties on board, nothing is guaranteed. Regardless of which process it goes through — legislation or POSS — the project has to be approved by both houses of parliament. "We need to make sure whatever goes to the Legislative Council can actually get approval," Mr Winter said. "That's going to require a lot of hard work and a parliamentary process that makes sense." He would not be drawn on whether he thought the legislation would pass the upper house in its current form. "We have to get it approved and finding the right approval process to maximise the chances of actually getting it built is the most important priority here," Mr Winter said. Regardless of whether Labor wins government on July 19, its support is likely to be essential. Greens candidate Helen Burnet said while she would like Labor to walk away from the stadium altogether, she hoped the party would at least drop its support for the legislation. "They've been very unclear in the past. They've flip-flopped. It's really important with such a massive issue that they're making it very clear for Tasmanians before they vote.
ABC News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Labor's Dean Winter says he won't give up the proposed Macquarie Point stadium 'for anything'
The leaders of both major Tasmanian political parties remain staunchly committed to a new Hobart stadium, and AFL team, even if it costs them a shot at governing the state. Both Labor leader Dean Winter, and Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff have re-affirmed their support for the Macquarie Point stadium and Tasmania Devils AFL club, in the midst of political upheaval triggered by a successful no-confidence motion in the premier by Labor. The move means the premier will either be replaced, or Tasmanians will be sent to the ballot box for the fourth time in seven years. The issue of the proposed stadium, which is slated to cost almost $1 billion to build, has fractured the state and if an election is confirmed, it is set to heavily influence the makeup of the next parliament, such is its prominence as an issue among voters. The stadium is unpopular across Tasmania but is a key condition of the licence agreement between the Tasmanian government and the AFL for a team. That team, the Devils, is almost universally popular. On Saturday, both leaders refused to waiver on their support for the stadium, and the AFL club that it unlocks, ahead of a likely election that appears destined to result in a hung parliament. On ABC Hobart's Grandstand radio program, Labor leader Dean Winter was asked if the stadium could be used as a bargaining chip in exchange for crossbench support, if his party was required to form the first Tasmanian Labor government in more than a decade. PRESENTER: In the situation where there's a genuine opportunity for you to form government, with crossbenchers, and you're in touching distance of forming government, can you rule out swapping the stadium for support? DEAN WINTER: I'm not giving up this stadium. Let me be clear. I think getting an AFL team would be the biggest thing since Mona. It'll be incredible for our state, and I'm not giving it up for anything. PRESENTER: So the stadium is off the table in any negotiation? DEAN WINTER: We are absolutely committed to the stadium. We wouldn't be negotiating building a stadium for that sort of thing, no. PRESENTER: Even if it could cost you government? DEAN WINTER: I am totally and utterly committed to it. It was a strong commitment to the contentious build in a week when the Labor leader felt the scorn of the Tasmania Devils football club, and of Devils fans who allege his successful no-confidence motion in the premier has placed the stadium, and the team, in jeopardy. It comes off the back of a letter to the AFL, which further confirmed his support for a stadium, and continued allegiance to the build despite an unpopular shift in planning processes for the project, rushed special legislation that was due to be voted on next month, and a rising cost to the state to build it. Premier Jeremy Rockliff has championed the stadium, and the Devils, since signing the controversial team licence agreement with the AFL in early 2023. At a press conference in Devonport on Saturday, the premier, who has so far refused to resign his post despite Labor's successful no-confidence motion against him, declared similar support: REPORTER: On the stadium, are you taking it off the table in any negotiations? Is it an absolute rock solid guarantee that stadium is part of your future plans? JEREMY ROCKLIFF: Yes. REPORTER: Even if you can't form government? JEREMY ROCKLIFF: Yes. REPORTER: The stadium is part of your plans? JEREMY ROCKLIFF: Of course it is. I'm passionate about it. We've been waiting for an AFL or AFLW team for over four decades here. But it's unknown whether a different Liberal leader would ditch the stadium in order to shore up crossbench support, in a bid to dodge an election and continue to govern. So far, Jeremy Rockliff has been unchallenged for the leadership of his party. Whether that changes in the coming days remains to be seen. The AFL's club presidents, who play a major role in the approval of new team licences, and who rubberstamped the deal between Tasmania and the league, are watching closely. Hawthorn president Andy Gowers told the ABC any changes to the current deal would lead to a reconsideration of the agreement that grants Tasmania its long-awaited team. "If there's any change to that, based on what happens from a government point of view, or any other reason, then we'd have to reconsider. "So, at the moment, we've voted for the team and stadium, and if there's any change to what we've agreed to, we will have to consider it." Mr Gowers will be one of 18 presidents who will speak with Devils chair Grant O'Brien in Melbourne next Tuesday. When asked what questions he would have for Mr O'Brien, he said: "How can I help?" Cold water has also been poured on the prospect of a pivot to the alternate, privately backed "Stadium 2.0" proposal for a 23,000-seat roofed stadium at nearby Regatta Point, jutting into freshly reclaimed land on the River Derwent. The ABC understands no meetings have taken place between project proponents Dean Coleman and former Labor premier Paul Lennon, and the AFL. It is also understood there is no desire from the AFL to consider the alternative proposal. In a statement to the ABC, an AFL spokesperson said: "A clear component of the licence bid from the Tasmanian taskforce was a new roofed stadium at Macquarie Point with a capacity of at least 23,000. "The AFL's continued position is that this is a condition for the grant of the 19th licence." The Liberal government has never supported the 2.0 project, declaring it recently to be "dead, buried and cremated". But Mr Winter conceded Labor would maintain a level of support for the concept, believing it could come into play should the Macquarie Point project be unable to proceed. He said he met with proponent Dean Coleman in April, but that Macquarie Point remained his priority unless there was no way it could be built. "I told him that, as I continue to say, we support the premier's proposal, we are going to support the process, at that stage I think we [referring to the] POSS [Project of State Significance planning process] but since then we have announced support for the [Macquarie Point stadium enabling] legislation."
The Guardian
07-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Australia news live: community to hold vigil for Pheobe Bishop; embattled Tasmanian premier pulls privatisation study
Update: Date: 2025-06-07T23:06:23.000Z Title: James Content: Shadow finance Minister Paterson will speak to ABC Insiders host David Speers this morning. Earlier this morning federal trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell spoke to Sky News. He was followed by Coalition MP Tim Wilson. Resources Minister Madeleine King will hold a presser in Western Australia this morning. We will bring you the latest as it develops. Update: Date: 2025-06-07T23:04:10.000Z Title: Privatisation shelved as premier fights to stay afloat Content: Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has intervened to end his government's push to sell off state assets after a turbulent week in which he lost a no-confidence motion in parliament. Rockliff has stopped prominent economist Saul Eslake from preparing a report on viable opportunities to sell government-owned businesses to support Tasmania's troubled finances. In a post to social media, he promised legislation ensuring that any sales would require a two-thirds majority support in parliament. Today, I can confirm that there will be no privatisation under a Government I lead. We will also be changing the law so that a government business can only be sold in future if it receives a two-thirds majority in the Parliament. An election could be called on Tuesday. Despite feuding over the state's finances, Tasmania's proposed $715m stadium looms as the biggest issue. The roofed Macquarie Point proposal is a condition of an AFL licence, with the state government responsible for delivery and cost overruns. Labor and the Liberals support the stadium but recent polls suggest Tasmanians are not sold. Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie and acclaimed author Richard Flanagan are among well-known Tasmanians who oppose the project. - AAP Update: Date: 2025-06-07T23:03:58.000Z Title: Vigil for Pheobe Bishop following grim bush discovery Content: A vigil will be held in memory of 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop after the discovery of human remains in rugged national parkland. The vigil follows police confirmation that they found human remains in 'unforgiving' terrain in a national park southwest of Bundaberg. Floral tributes were laid outside the share house where Bishop lived, with a candlelight vigil at Kolan Community Park between 4pm and 6pm on Sunday. Locals have been asked to wear bright colours and butterflies. A second candlelight vigil will be held at Buss Park in nearby Bundaberg on Monday from 5pm. Well-wishers have left tributes on social media sites advertising the events. Bishop was last seen near Bundaberg airport about 8.30am on 15 May after booking a trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend. Police have charged her housemates with her murder. – with AAP Update: Date: 2025-06-07T23:03:28.000Z Title: Good morning Content: And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog. A vigil will be held for a Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop on Sunday afternoon after police confirmed they had found human remains in a national park. Bishop's housemates have been charged with her murder after she missed a flight she was expected to board at Bundaberg Airport. Embattled Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has intervened to stop a privatisation to sell off state assets after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament earlier this week. The Premier is expected to call an election on Tuesday after facing pressure over his government's management of state finances. I'm Royce Kurmelovs and I'll be taking the blog through the day. With that, let's get started …
News.com.au
05-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘No confidence' cloud hangs over Devils
AFL: A 'no confidence motion' towards the Tasmanian premier has left plenty of doubt around the future of the Tassie Devils as Macquarie Point stadium development could be in danger.
ABC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Now that Rockliff is toppled, what will happen to Devils AFL team and stadium?
As political turmoil continues to engulf Tasmania, the Devils AFL team remains at high risk of becoming collateral damage. But depending on who you speak to, the level of danger for Tasmania's fledgling AFL club varies. On one side, there is a view that the no-confidence motion moved against Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff has no material effect on Tasmania's plans to build the Macquarie Point stadium and, thus, enter the AFL. The argument is that even though an election has been triggered, the worst-case scenario is an upcoming parliamentary vote on the Macquarie Point stadium will simply be delayed for a few months — and when the dust has settled, the team and stadium train will roll on. But there are fundamental flaws with that argument, and they are two-fold. The first relates to contractual timelines that the Tasmanian government must meet per its contract with the AFL for a team — and a crucial one is to be met by June 30. That is the cut-off for obtaining all required planning and environmental approvals for the stadium. The stadium — pivotal to the Devils survival — has bounced from one planning process to another. Rightly or wrongly, the government has tabled legislation aimed at bypassing the Project of State Significance process bid to fast track the stadium, cognisant of looming deadlines. A vote to pass or deny that legislation — which, if passed, would have granted planning approval for the stadium — is due in the coming weeks. An election does not simply delay that. It obliterates it. It will mean the parliament is dissolved and puts the vote itself in doubt. It is true, timelines agreed upon in early 2023 have been bent and massaged over the past two years. And on current timelines, the vote would fall just outside the June 30 cut-off. But a week or two is small potatoes. An election will be a roast dinner. The Devils' high performance centre — which faced steep geotechnical hurdles at the club's preferred site of Rosny, and was subject to an elector poll of Clarence City residents — has also been pushed back. But that was a year ago, and the centre still remains on track to be built. The real threat lies in the uncertainty and the make-up of a future parliament which nobody knows what it will look like — not even the Labor party. It is what prompted tears from Devils boss Kath McCann on Wednesday, and chief executive Brendon Gale to declare that an election puts the team "at risk". If Tasmanians are marched to the ballot box, the current make-up of the state's lower house will change. The government will most likely change too. However, what is highly unlikely is either major party winning a majority of seats in the parliament. This is where the Devils are snookered. It is extremely likely that whoever wins the most seats will need the support of the Greens or the crossbench to form government, and neither major party will deal with the Greens. That leaves a hodgepodge of currently unknown independents that will be relied upon. And while the numbers in the lower house may change, the flavour of the crossbench will probably remain the same. That flavour is strongly anti-stadium. While the Labor and Liberal parties both support the stadium and the team, that matters for little if neither are able to form government without convincing anti-stadium crossbenchers to flip — and that will be first chip those crossbenchers attempt to cash. Which independent will support a minority government without demanding the stadium be dropped? Will pro-stadium independents be elected, when the stadium remains grossly unpopular amongst the Tasmanian public? Even if the Liberals had opted to change leader instead of opting for an election, which of their members would have garnered crossbench support without being required to drop the stadium and therefore the team? There was no path, without a significant change of heart from one of the two vehemently anti-stadium independents who are currently in support of Labor's no-confidence motion. And while the government was propped up by supply and confidence agreements from independents, some of them anti-stadium, a number of those agreements are not even with the Liberals but with Mr Rockliff himself. Even David O'Byrne, the staunchly pro-stadium and team independent, would not have supported a leader of the Liberal party not named Jeremy Rockliff. Mr O'Byrne's sister, Michelle O'Byrne, is the speaker of the house. It had been suggested she could use her casting vote to, as former Premier Peter Gutwein said, "end the madness". That didn't happen, such is her Labor allegiance. That leaves the last pathway — the AFL. There is zero prospect of the AFL removing the condition for a stadium at Macquarie Point. It simply won't fly with the 18 club presidents who already needed their arms twisted to agree to the current deal. Other material changes, like the requirement for a roof on the stadium, also won't be up for negotiation. Rumours continue to swirl of a Labor pivot to the proposed Stadium 2.0 proposal, but the ABC understands the party has told the Devils that is not in their plans. The ABC also understands that the Stadium 2.0 proposal is looked upon even less favourably than the Macquarie Point stadium by a large chunk of the Tasmanian Parliament, including the Greens. Where there may be some bend is on timelines. There exists a world where the AFL allows an election to run its course, and if whoever forms government somehow manages to keep its pro-stadium position intact, perhaps things can continue, albeit delayed. That is the hope of Labor but it is a huge if, and an enormously high-stakes gamble. And at this stage, that is currently all the hope the Devils have.
