Almost half of eligible Clarence voters have cast their ballots in the elector poll on the proposed AFL high performance centre, with just two weeks to go until the results are announced.
The latest figures from the Tasmanian Electoral Commission show a response rate of 45.82% since July 10.
Of the 45,351 enrolled electors, 20,778 have returned their ballots so far.
The poll will close on August 8 at 2pm and the first results are expected to be known the following day at 9am.
While non-binding, the poll will give locals the chance to confirm whether they want to ‘secure a world-class community and sporting facility’ or ‘keep the publicly owned parklands for future generations’.
Clarence Councillor Tony Mulder has “made a commitment” to the community that he will “be the first” to support plans to move the facility to Kingston if the poll returns 70% against.
“I’ll listen to the people and there are people around here who think that they are going to romp it in, well not according to my inbox, but that’s fine,” he told other councillors at the June 17 meeting.
“For the sake of scoring full marks and a free beer, I will put my life on the line now and say that there is less chance of an alternative site for a high performance centre in Clarence then there is for Harold Holt walking up Cheviot Beach tomorrow morning.”
The poll follows a petition by the ‘Save Rosny Parks’ group that received more than 1,000 signatures, requesting a vote on whether Charles Hand Park and Rosny Parklands should be used for the $70 million facility.
It asks two Yes or No questions:
1. Do you support building the AFL High Performance Centre entirely within the Rosny Parklands?
2. Do you support building the AFL High Performance Centre across both Rosny Parklands and Charles Hand Park?
The most recent elector poll among the nearby Glenorchy community on the future of the Glenorchy Pool earlier this year had a final response rate of 66.99% from 33,554 eligible voters.
