The Greens have accused the Tasmanian Government of lying about the cost of the proposed $715 million Macquarie Point stadium.
Citing figures of almost $3 billion recently put forward for a new stadium in Canberra, MP Vica Bayley has questioned whether Hobart’s projections are realistic given the recent escalation in construction costs.
“We’ve seen the Rockliff government’s track record on infrastructure stuff-ups. How can we expect the stadium to be any different?” he said.
“Treasurer Ferguson has foreshadowed a $5+ billion infrastructure spend in the upcoming budget, despite the assessment from independent economist Saul Eslake that we need careful consideration and prioritisation of all infrastructure expenditure.”
Greens MLC Cassy O’Connor called the government’s priorities “warped” for “bulldozing on with a billion-dollar stadium that Tasmanians neither need or want”.
“As Tasmanians struggle with the rising cost of living, battle through crises in health and housing and realise education outcomes consistently below the national average, it is clear that the Liberals need to change its priorities in the upcoming state budget,” she said.
The comparison to the Canberra stadium has been challenged by the Liberals and Independent ACT Senator David Pocock, who accused the ACT Government of inflating the cost for political reasons.
They cited the examples of the 30,000-seat Parramatta Stadium, which was completed for $360 million in 2019, and the Christchurch Stadium, which cost $625 million to build, exceeding its initial budget of $533 million.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff dismissed the Greens’ criticism, accusing them of being “anti-school buildings, anti-better roads, anti-upgrading hospitals”.
“We need infrastructure, intergenerational infrastructure that supports jobs, supports growth and ensures we do have the best schools, we do have the best hospitals and we do have the best roads in the nation,” he said.
