An estimated 15,000 people braved the rain to pack Parliament Lawns in Hobart on Sunday, urging the state’s upper house to approve the $1.13 billion Macquarie Point stadium.
The rally, organised by ‘Yes AFL Team, Yes Stadium’ Facebook group creator Mark Brown, came just days before the Legislative Council is due to vote on whether to greenlight the project.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff told the crowd the decision would “define Tasmania for generations”.
“A state that is confident to believe in itself and believes in the young people of Tasmania,” he said.
“I am confident that we’ll get this project across the line.”
“We know the benefits of this project, the jobs, the opportunity, the aspiration, the economy and what it means for our community.”
The stadium is a key condition of Tasmania’s AFL licence, with the Devils set to join the competition in 2028. Without it, the AFL has said the state will not receive a team.
Labor leader Josh Willie also declared his party’s support, calling the project essential for Tasmania’s future.
“[The stadium] is what’s required to enter the AFL and anybody who says different is misrepresenting the facts,” he told the crowd.
“There’s a lot at stake here. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and we cannot miss this opportunity.”
Willie warned that rejecting the project would deliver “a mortal blow to Tasmania’s reputation as a place for investment”.
“We will not stop this project and crush the hopes and aspirations of so many Tasmanians,” he said.
“We will not be responsible for stopping the AFL and AFLW dream.”
Independent MP David O’Byrne – the only independent to back the project in the lower house – urged supporters to dismiss claims that the stadium was too expensive or too ambitious.
“I’ve heard some crazy arguments,” he said. “They say we can’t afford it. I say we can’t afford not to.”
“A member of parliament said if we say yes to this, it’ll destroy the state. Are you kidding?” he said.
“Destroy the state? This stadium means so much more. It’s jobs for local workers. Energy flooding into this city. World class sport, concerts, culture.”
“The stadium is not a cost. It’s an investment. An investment in belief. Belief in Tasmanian talent. Belief in Tasmanian workers. Belief in Tasmanian creativity. And belief in our Tasmanian future.”
Brown said he started the Facebook group shortly after Tasmania was granted an AFL licence in May 2023.
“I never in my wildest dreams thought it would create this groundswell,” he said.
“All of us here today show the undeniable truth. We want this team and we want this stadium.”
He urged Legislative Council members to back the project when it comes before them this week.
Fellow organiser Tiana Brown praised the “wobble warriors” who had been campaigning on the streets.
“Look at you all standing here today in the rain, true Tassie style,” she said. “I’m so proud of you all.”
She also thanked Premier Rockliff for his support.
“You will be known as the premier that believed,” she said.
Sunday’s event followed a smaller ‘No New Stadium’ protest on the same lawns a week earlier. Police previously said 1,500 people attended that event.
The stadium proposal has long divided the community, with critics pointing to rising costs and concerns over government spending priorities.
The project’s price tag has increased from an initial $715 million to $1.13 billion. Of that, the federal government has committed $240 million and the AFL $15 million, with the state to borrow the remainder.
A Tasmanian Planning Commission report earlier this year recommended against the stadium, claiming the negatives outweighed the positives.
To pass the Legislative Council, the government needs at least eight of the chamber’s 15 votes.
Six are already secured from Liberal and Labor MLCs, while four members have publicly declared they will vote against it.
That leaves five independents holding the balance of power, with at least three required to get the project through.
If approved, construction is expected to begin in 2026.
