The Macquarie Point Development Corporation (MPDC) has taken aim at a draft assessment report for Tasmania’s proposed multi-purpose stadium, claiming it fails to comply with legal requirements and lacks balance.
In documents submitted today to the Tasmanian Planning Commission (TPC), the MPDC argued the draft integrated assessment contains “errors of law” and relies on “untested material”.
MPDC CEO Anne Beach said legal advice indicates the report “was incomplete, argumentative and lacks balance”, making it hard for the public and stakeholders to “make informed representations”.
“As a Project of State Significance, the project needs to be assessed in accordance with a set process,” she said.
“As part of this assessment, the normal planning provisions are effectively ‘turned off’ to allow for a broader consideration of the project. That approach hasn’t been applied in the report.”
“Our advice is that the project scope has also been unreasonably extended.”
The MPDC argues the report only focuses on potential issues while excluding project benefits, creating an incomplete picture for the public to assess.
The legal representation, prepared by MinterEllison, suggests the report makes premature findings on critical matters before receiving public submissions.
“It is argumentative and lacks balance to support the making of representations. It should be given limited, if any, weight,” MinterEllison said.
Beach confirmed the MPDC will lodge more detailed submissions shortly in response to the TPC’s draft.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said yesterday he was “perplexed” by the findings and has sought advice on whether the Project of State Significance process can be bypassed.
Following the release of the legal advice on Thursday morning, he told Parliament he was “deeply concerned”.
The stadium has bipartisan support from both the Liberals and Labor, prompting backlash from crossbench MPs, who are now calling themselves the “true opposition”.
In a show of unity on Parliament Lawns, Greens MPs, Lambie MP Andrew Jenner and independents Kristie Johnston, Craig Garland, Rebekah Pentland and Miriam Beswick gathered to protest the project.
They say Labor’s stance effectively forms a “Liberal-Labor Coalition government” on the issue and have vowed to give the anti-stadium community “the voice that they deserve”.
More on this story: Tasmania Football Club CEO warns stadium critical for AFL team’s existence
