Premier Jeremy Rockliff has refused to rule out pulling the Macquarie Point stadium from the Project of State Significance (POSS) process, sparking fresh concerns among MPs that the government could look to push the project through with special legislation.
During a heated Question Time in Parliament on Tuesday, Rockliff was grilled over whether the government would ditch the current planning pathway, following a scathing draft report from the Tasmanian Planning Commission (TPC).
Asked directly whether he’d rule out withdrawing the project from the POSS process or using special enabling legislation to get it across the line, Rockliff wouldn’t give a straight answer.
“All I can guarantee when it comes to the stadium is that this Parliament will have its say,” the Premier said.
“I am not going to let this state be seen as a place that you cannot invest. I will never give in to the negative and the naysayers … It is in the state’s interest that this stadium infrastructure goes ahead.”
“The TPC’s draft report has taken a very broad sweep in its assessment. We are on a timeline … The clock is ticking. We must get this done and we will get this done.”
“We are in the Project of State Significance process as we speak. We are continuing in that process and the Parliament, at the end of the day, will have its say.”
The Planning Commission’s draft report identified numerous issues with the stadium plan, including site contamination, traffic congestion and financial viability concerns.
Independent MP Kristie Johnston described the report as “disturbing” and called for an immediate halt to the project.
“The TPC report released yesterday shows that with just about every aspect of the stadium there are significant challenges and issues,” she said.
“These are issues and challenges that probably won’t be able to be overcome.”
Opposition Leader Dean Winter said Labor still supports the stadium but warned that bypassing the current planning process could sink the entire proposal.
“[It] would be an omission you’ve completely stuffed this project up,” Winter said.
“It would send a message to the Parliament and to the Legislative Council in particular that you’re unwilling to be honest about the costs, engineering risks and safety concerns outlined in the planning commission’s draft report.”
Johnston called the stadium proposal a “Spirits fiasco on a much bigger scale” that “makes a Spirits fiasco look like a minor administrative error”.
“I welcome the Labor Party finally asking questions about the deliverability of this project in Parliament today, but they need to go further, they need to put a stop to this madness,” she said.
The draft report is now open for public comment, with hearings scheduled before Parliament makes a final decision.
