The Tasmanian state parliament is likely to gain the final say over projects like the Macquarie Point stadium after Labor said it will back changes to existing laws in the lower house.
The State Policies and Projects Amendment Bill will let both parliament houses approve projects, following an assessment by the Tasmanian Planning Commission.
In the past, this commission alone had the final say.
The proposed change comes after two government members left the Liberal Party, causing Premier Jeremy Rockliff to reassess the stadium’s status.
The Premier warned that this change requires care as it might affect Tasmania’s image for private investment.
“It is important to be mindful of the risks of damaging Tasmania’s reputation for private investment based on predictable, transparent assessment processes when exercising the rights provided under the bill in relation to projects not being proposed by government or government-owned businesses,” Rockliff said.
Labor leader Rebecca White made clear that supporting the bill isn’t the same as backing the stadium project, emphasising the need for transparency in public projects.
“We still want to see more details from the government about how they plan to progress their pet project to build a stadium at the Macquarie Point site, including an expectation that they provide treasury advice and a fully developed precinct plan for the Macquarie Point site, before the parliament is asked to consider any order,” White said.
Labor also plans to propose an amendment to undo these legal changes three years after they are approved.
“This is largely to make sure that the concerns of the business and investment community can be properly dealt with and I expect they will be under any review,” she said.
The bill also calls for a review a year after the changes are made. The debate on this issue is still in progress.
