Tasmania’s construction industry says it is ready to swing into action on the Macquarie Point stadium after the project cleared its final parliamentary hurdle on Thursday night.
The Legislative Council’s approval of the stadium order ends years of political wrangling and paves the way for the $1.13 billion multi-purpose venue that will become home to the Tasmania Devils AFL team.
Master Builders Tasmania chief executive Jenna Cairney said the decision has prompted celebrations across the industry.
“The cheers on building sites across the state would give footy fans on Grand Final day a run for their money,” she said. “It was enough to lift the roof off a stadium.”
“There’s an unreal sense of elation and optimism out there and, most importantly, there is an overwhelming swell of pride and confidence that’s been missing for too long.”
Cairney said the stadium is expected to create 600 construction jobs at its peak, with apprentices likely to make up around 20% of the workforce.
But she said the project’s significance stretched far beyond the stadium walls.
“The stadium will also light the fuse for investment across the state, it sends a clear signal that Tasmania is open for business,” she said.
“Whether that’s new hotels, new homes or new commercial builds, there are huge opportunities ahead for our industry.”
“This is a vote for investment, a vote for jobs and a vote for a future in Tasmania for our building and construction workers.”
Civil Contractors Federation Tasmania chief executive Andrew Winch said there is strong eagerness to get underway.
“Our members are just champing at the bit to get to work on this exciting project and we call on the government to get on with building the stadium as soon as they possibly can,” he said.
“After three long years, the time for talking is over and the time for building is now here.”
Both peak bodies thanked Labor and the Liberals for their bipartisan support, with Winch also acknowledging crossbench MPs who backed the order.
Master Builders Tasmania has established a taskforce of industry leaders to advocate for local contractors and suppliers to be prioritised during procurement.
The ‘Building and Construction – Tasmania First Taskforce’ brings together representatives from the building, property, civil, engineering, electrical, plumbing and cement sectors.
“It is critically important that the Tasmanian government ensures that Tasmanian businesses, Tasmanian workers and Tasmanian supply chains can benefit, first,” Cairney said.
