Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has faced a tense radio interview this morning over her Council’s formal opposition to the proposed Macquarie Point stadium.
The grilling on ABC Radio’s statewide Mornings program followed last night’s Council meeting, where councillors voted to take a stronger stance and make their formal response to the Tasmanian Planning Commision ‘less positive’.
A draft version of the submission, complied by Council staff and signed off by CEO Michael Stretton, made waves on Friday for its assertion that the stadium would “undeniably have a transformative economic impact on the CBD and the broader LGA”.
The submission focused on an independent economic analysis commissioned by council, which found the stadium would deliver $178.9 million per year in economic benefits once operational.
During the heated on-air exchange this morning, Reynolds defended the Council’s position, saying the “negatives of this project outweigh the benefits.”
“This was the first time since the debate proposal started in 2022 that the Council actually declared a position,” Reynolds said.
She pointed to contradictory economic reports and questioned the viability of the stadium design, citing concerns from the Tasmanian Planning Commission’s interim report.
“The Tasmanian Planning Commission finds it unlikely that some of those [issues] can be resolved. For example, the roof. They flagged that the roof is an extreme risk,” Reynolds said.
ABC host Leon Compton repeatedly challenged Reynolds, suggesting the Council was rejecting a project that would benefit Hobart’s tourism and hospitality sectors.
“You have the most restaurants that would benefit from a stadium being built there … and you’ve said no to them,” Compton suggested.
Reynolds maintained the site is too small for the proposed development, creating safety issues that “cannot be resolved” and leaving “no room left for a lively precinct.”
“Have you actually read the Tas Planning Commission’s full report,” Reynolds asked Compton, to which he responded “I think I have, Lord Mayor”.
“It’s pretty compelling and I urge anyone who’s really interested in this issue to read it in full,” Reynolds said.
Tasmanian Business Minister Eric Abetz has taken aim at the Council following the Lord Mayor’s interview.
“It beggars belief that the Hobart City Council would advocate against hundreds of millions of dollars being injected into their community and hundreds of jobs being created,” he said.
The council’s submission will be forwarded to the Tasmanian Planning Commission as part of the ongoing assessment process.
The state government is currently moving forward with ‘enabling legislation’ to bypass the Tasmanian Planning Commision and approve the stadium through Parliament directly.
