Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has issued an ultimatum to Upper House members that unless enabling legislation for the Macquarie Point stadium passes, the state’s AFL team bid will collapse.
“Every MP will get a vote on whether the stadium will go ahead. Yes or No. If the vote is no, it is all over,” Rockliff told Pulse.
“There will be no ongoing POSS (Project of State Significance process). There will be no stadium. There will be no team.”
Asked about the ultimatum in Parliament on Wednesday, Rockliff said everything will come to an end if the enabling legislation fails.
“The fact is we’ve got to get the job done. And the fact is if we want a team, if we want to start this project, we’ve got to get on with the job,” he said.
“And every single Member of Parliament will get one vote and decide whether or not they want a team and they want that enabling infrastructure.”
The stark warning comes after several Tasmanian politicians conducted a fact-finding mission to Adelaide Oval last weekend, investigating the facility’s economic impact on South Australia.
The delegation included independent MPs David O’Byrne and Rebekah Pentland and independent MLCs Bec Thomas and Ruth Forrest, who are among the lawmakers set to vote on the contentious stadium project in the coming months.
During the visit, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas reportedly met with the contingent for approximately 45 minutes, where he outlined his vision of a stadium’s transformative impact on a capital city.
Malinauskas told the group how Adelaide Oval had become central to South Australia’s economic strategy, including the Gather Round AFL event which generates an estimated $100 million in annual economic impact.
Adelaide Crows president John Olsen hosted the group at the Adelaide versus Carlton match.
They discussed stadium economics including advertising revenue, food and beverage operations, public transport arrangements and CBD investment opportunities.
The politicians also received briefings on the potential community benefits of establishing the Tasmania Devils team and associated facilities.
