Parliament has voted to have the government reveal the expected costs of the Macquarie Point stadium before MPs decide whether to approve the project.
Independent MP Kristie Johnston’s push for transparency passed yesterday after Labor leader Josh Willie moved amendments to soften the original motion.
The motion calls on the government to table cost estimates for the stadium, as well as any conditions set by the Tasmanian Planning Commission, once its report is released next Wednesday.
“Before you commit to building something, you need to know what it’s going to cost,” Johnston said.
“It seems almost too obvious to state, yet here we are, facing a billion dollar decision with incomplete information.”
The stadium is currently priced at $945 million. This includes $375 million from the state government, $240 million from the federal government and $15 million from the AFL.
The remaining $300-plus million would be borrowed by the Macquarie Point Development Corporation.
The government initially opposed the motion, warning of costly delays. Treasurer Eric Abetz argued each year of delay could add 5% to costs, equivalent to about $123,000 a day.
“What this motion is doing is masquerading transparency, but what it really is doing is obstruction and going to cause real delay and real cost blowouts,” Abetz said.
“This will cause such a delay to the timetable and a cost to the delivery of the project that it will prejudice the team,” he added, warning that Tasmania would lose its AFL licence without the stadium.
“They are inextricably interwoven and without the stadium we will not have a team.”
But the government did not oppose Willie’s amendments, which scrapped a 30-day deadline and changed wording from will add to cost to may add to cost.
Labor’s changes reflected an attempt to balance support for the stadium with calls for greater transparency.
Willie criticised the government’s handling of the project while reaffirming his party’s support.
“The fact that this project is as controversial as it is, is because of how badly they have handled it,” Willie said.
The Tasmanian Planning Commission will deliver its final report on the stadium by September 17, potentially recommending conditions for the project to proceed.
Johnston warned the government must respect the “spirit” of the transparency motion or risk criticism from crossbench MPs and the upper house.
“Should the government not act in good faith and make best efforts to produce and table those [costs], then that will be looked upon very dimly I suspect,” she said.
The debate comes as pressure mounts over the stadium’s cost and tight construction timeline.
Parliament will ultimately need to approve the project through both houses.
