Michelle Dracoulis says she won’t support the $945 million stadium planned for Hobart’s Macquarie Point if elected to state parliament.
The Derwent Valley mayor, who is running as an independent for Lyons in the July 19 election, says the proposed stadium is the wrong priority.
“I DO NOT support a stadium at MacPoint. The location is wrong and the cost too high,” Dracoulis posted on social media this week.
But she’s not giving up on the dream of a Tasmanian AFL team. Instead, Dracoulis wants the state government to head back to the negotiating table with the AFL to explore other options.
“I DO support the consideration of other options and the renegotiation of terms with the AFL so we can still have our team,” she said.
“If the AFL will not renegotiate this bank-busting item they were never serious about a Tasmanian team to begin with.”
Dracoulis is also turning the spotlight on Tasmania’s housing crisis, after speaking with a woman who has spent the past six years homeless all while holding down a job.
“You would never guess that she’s spent the last six years living between a tent and her car,” Dracoulis said.
“This woman became homeless when the home she was renting with her three kids was sold and … listed as an Airbnb.”
She says regional families are being pushed out by the rise of short-term holiday rentals.
“What happens to regional families who rent, when the only available homes are locked out of the market to be accessed by visitors in peak season?” she asked.
“The answer doesn’t lie in hiding everyone out the back of Bridgewater. Tasmanians should be able to find a home in their own communities. Things are not ok.”
