Labor leader Dean Winter has ruled out any alternative stadium proposals, saying his party will stick with the current Macquarie Point project if it wins government.
Speaking at the Trevallyn Dam during a candidate announcement, Winter said Labor was not exploring other options, including the previously floated ‘Stadium 2.0’ concept.
“We want to deliver the project that is currently proposed through the Project of State Significance process but also through the legislation,” he said.
“We’re not considering any other proposals other than the proposal that is in front of Tasmanians.”
Winter’s comments mark a shift from Labor’s previous stance under former leader Rebecca White, who campaigned against the stadium at the last state election.
“We went to the last election saying that we would try and renegotiate the deal and we lost that election and so we needed to take a position,” he said.
“The position we took is to support building a stadium because we know that’s what delivers our team. We’ve continued to hold that position since.”
Winter said his support for the $945 million waterfront stadium had been consistent since taking over the leadership.
“Since I became leader, I have been absolutely clear that we support building a stadium because we know that’s what delivers our AFL team,” he said.
“We are supporting the Macquarie Point stadium as hard as we can because we understand that’s what delivers the team.”
Labor’s position aligns it with the Liberals and sets both parties apart from the Greens and Tasmanian Nationals, who remain firmly opposed to the project, along with several independent MPs.
Winter also took aim at the current state government’s track record on major projects, saying Tasmanians deserved better.
“We want to make sure this proposal can be delivered. That’s our focus,” he said.
“What we’ve seen is a premier that has been unable to deliver major projects. I want to actually deliver it because I understand how important this is for our state.”
