The cost of the planned AFL high-performance centre at Kingston has jumped to $105 million, a $45 million increase from initial estimates.
The project, originally budgeted at $60 million, will now receive additional funding through the upcoming 2025-26 state budget, totalling $105 million.
The AFL will be contributing an additional $10 million on top of the state funding.
Announcing the increase on Sunday, Sports and Events Minister Nick Duigan defended the investment.
“This facility will be the home of the Tasmanian AFL team and is critical for our entry into the AFL,” Duigan said.
“Without the stadium, there is no team and there is no high-performance centre here at Kingston, which would be a significant loss of opportunity to the local economy.”
Shadow Infrastructure Minister Anita Dow said the blowout is “yet another demonstration of the minority Rockliff government’s inability to manage major infrastructure projects”.
“According to AFL licensing deal signed by Jeremy Rockliff, the high-performance centre was meant to be ready by the end of this year. It’s now going to be two years late and a DA hasn’t even been lodged,” she said.
“Labor supports the development of the high-performance centre in Kingston. It will help create jobs and is a key part of ensuring the Devils are set up for success.”
Minister Duigan said both the AFL facility and incoming JackJumpers NBL high-performance centre will be transformational for the region.
“Kingborough will become home to hundreds of players and staffers and their families,” Duigan said.
“They will be living here in the community, working here, shopping here, raising their families here and, importantly, contributing to the local economy.”
Kingborough Mayor Paula Wreidt said she is “absolutely delighted” for plans to be progressing.
“The pride that I hear from people in the community, right from young school children through to adults who say we are going to be the home of not only the Tasmania JackJumpers and the Tasmanian Football Club, that is a really historic occasion for this municipality,” she said.
“I’m getting a lot of positive feedback from people within Kingborough both about the high-performance centre but also about the stadium. There seems to be an understanding that if we don’t do it now that it may not ever happen.”
Wreidt was involved in a previous attempt at gaining an AFL licence for Tasmania in 2007 when she was Economic Development Minister.
Kath McCann from the Tasmania Football Club said the organisation is building itself “on the basis” that it will enter the national league in 2028, with the Macquarie Point stadium and the Kingston high-performance centre both vital for the team.
“We can feel a significant groundswell of support. We’ve got over 210,000 members including over 110,000 here in Tasmania,” she said.
“There’s no perfect time to build a stadium but we will continue to work through as a club to be ready.”
“We’ll let the politics take its course, we’ll let the community have their discussion and ultimately what we ask is that it’s a respectful discussion that goes on about what is we believe a transformational project for Tasmania.”
She said the club will “have interim arrangements in place” toward first bounce.
“As we journey to first bounce, I think we can all appreciate both on-field and off-field, we’ll have a number of transitional steps that will ultimately get us to our home here at Kingborough.”
Design work for the centre is nearly complete with a development application expected in coming months, followed by a construction tender later this year.
The government insists the project remains on schedule for practical completion by the end of October 2027, meeting requirements under the AFL agreement.
