Independent MP Peter George’s last-ditch attempt to scrap the Macquarie Point stadium has been emphatically rejected, with parliament voting 24-10 to keep the project alive.
The Franklin MP on Wednesday tabled a motion that said the stadium had become “a symbol of misplaced priorities” as the state’s debt approaches $13 billion.
But the motion calling for fresh negotiations with the AFL to keep the Tasmania Devils licence and drop the stadium failed to gain traction.
“The premier has lost every single argument for his stadium,” George said. “This stadium will be a very sad joke on Tasmania.”
Labor leader Josh Willie dismissed the motion as fantasy, saying interstate politicians viewed Tasmania’s stadium debate “with bemusement”.
“Nobody ever regrets building a stadium,” Willie said, citing a comment from a conversation during a recent trip to Canberra.
“It’s difficult at the time, but everywhere it happens, people, they wonder what the fuss was about.”
He warned the 18 other AFL clubs “could not care less” if Tasmania defaulted on the deal and would happily reclaim draft picks and the $360 million committed to the Devils.
Liberal MP Rob Fairs said anti-stadium opponents refused to accept the AFL’s fundamental position.
“No stadium, no team. No team, no stadium. It’s not bluff or spin. That is fact,” he said.
Minister Eric Abetz said 25 of 35 lower house MPs were elected supporting the stadium, rejecting claims of “widespread public opposition”.
“If Mr George is to be believed that nine out of 10 people he spoke to didn’t want the stadium, it’s a bit puzzling he didn’t get 90% of the vote,” Abetz said.
He said the stadium concept came from Tasmania’s own AFL taskforce chaired by Brett Godfrey, not from AFL demands.
“This was organically grown from Tasmania,” he said.
Independent MP Kristie Johnston, who met with the AFL last week alongside George, claimed the meeting made clear the league “cares about the AFL’s business interests only”.
“They don’t care about Tasmanians. They don’t care about the state, they don’t care about the future of the state and they don’t care about the people living in it,” she said.
But independent MP David O’Byrne, who supports the project, accused opponents of exaggeration.
“Mr George, you said that people are saying that the stadium will solve all of the state’s ills,” he said.
“I support the stadium and I’ve never said that. If the government have said that, they’re wrong.”
“At times they do link the economic opportunity that the stadium will deliver – that will resolve and will go to dealing with a range of things and it does, but it doesn’t solve the state’s ills. It doesn’t fix everything.”
The motion was supported by the Greens, SFF MP Carlo Di Falco and independents Peter George, Kristie Johnston, Craig Garland and George Razay.
The debate now moves to next week when parliament will consider a formal order to approve the stadium project.
The Legislative Council will ultimately decide the stadium’s fate in December.
If approved, the stadium goes to tender in early 2026, paving the way for construction to start.
If rejected, the proposal dies and the Tasmania Devils AFL side will likely never eventuate.
