The Governor has made the order for the Macquarie Point stadium to proceed, paving the way for crucial votes in both houses of parliament over the coming weeks.
Infrastructure Minister Kerry Vincent announced the finalised order on Wednesday, describing it as “quite an exciting day” for the state.
“This creates great opportunities for what we can do in the future and how this state will be economically driven for many decades to come,” he said.
However, the project still needs one more tick before construction can begin, as the order will have no effect until it is considered and approved by parliament.
The order will be debated in the lower house when parliament resumes in November, with an upper house vote expected in early December.
Vincent described the changes from the draft order as “fine-tuning” rather than major overhauls.
Key adjustments include establishing a design panel, delivering quarterly transparency reports to parliament and introducing stronger communication protocols with neighbours, including the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO).
One new requirement mandates six months’ notice to the TSO for ‘noisy events’ – a condition that could potentially clash with AFL fixture scheduling.
Vincent said the condition was “manageable” and suggested flexibility could be achieved through good communication.
The minister acknowledged that heritage impacts around the Cenotaph and nearby buildings were inevitable but said issues would be worked through with “common sense”.
The stakes are high for the government, with Vincent confirming there is no plan B if the order fails.
“We will lose all this investment, including the investment in the Dial Sports Complex, UTAS, the sports academies down at Kingborough. It will be all lost,” he said.
“And the thing that really worries me as infrastructure minister is … that Tasmania will lose the confidence from a nation in what Tassie is capable of doing.”
Vincent directed his final remarks to undecided upper house independents, who hold the deciding votes.
“I just ask them to consider the future of all of Tasmania,” he said.
“This is a big thing that will bring other investment into this state and that’s an important thing for us to go forward.”
