A committee dominated by non-government MPs will hold an inquiry into plans for an AFL stadium at Macquarie Point.

The inquiry was announced late Tuesday.

“The Parliamentary Standing Committee of Public Accounts Committee is undertaking a targeted inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s process into the feasibility planning for a new sporting and event stadium in Hobart,” the committee said in a statement.

“The Committee will consider among other factors the process used to select the Macquarie Point site, the costs (initial and future) of building, maintaining and operating the same, and the assumptions that underpin the feasibility and sustainability of the proposed Hobart stadium.

“The committee will be chaired by independent MLC Ruth Forrest and include Nelson MLC Meg Webb, Labor MPs Josh Willie and Shane Broad and Liberals Lara Alexander and Dean Young.”

Terms of reference released by the committee reveal the inquiry will have a particular emphasis on the process used to select Macquarie Point as the site for a proposed new stadium and 2. how a new roofed stadium became a condition of a Tasmanian licence to enter the AFL.

It will also examine the financial assumptions underpinning the bid, including the “Tasmanian Government’s expectation regarding financial contributions from the Australian Government, AFL and third parties”.

Labor’s Janie Finlay welcomed the inquiry. Her party supports the state’s long-running AFL bid but is opposed to the stadium.

“There is considerable, widespread, disquiet throughout the Tasmanian community about the proposed stadium,” she said.

“It’s not a priority for the state and a large number of Tasmania’s Federal Liberal MPs agree, including Senators Duniam, Chandler and Askew and Braddon and Bass MPs Gavin Pearce and Bridget Archer who have all voiced their disapproval of the project.

“The Premier has been pushed around by the AFL and has not stood up to them.

“The Premier should never have agreed to the demand of the AFL that a new stadium be built as we have two perfectly good AFL-quality stadiums in the state already.:

Ms Finlay said the stadium was an attempt to “fleece Tasmanian taxpayers”.

“We should have had the licence by now,” she said.

“Tasmania should already be in the process of building our Tassie team. We should have already appointed a CEO, a board and started our push for members.”

Greens leader Casy O’Connor welcomed scrutiny of what she described as the “unneeded and unwanted stadium plan for Macquarie Point”.

“PAC will have a lot to investigate. There’s no business case for the project, only propaganda peddled by the Premier’s office and the Liberals’ industry mates,” she said.

“This AFL-driven proposal is a reckless spend of hundreds of millions of public dollars. Tasmania has a housing waiting list in the thousands, and people are dying ramped at hospitals.”

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the government was firmly behind the stadium proposal.

“We fully back this important project as it will not only help us take our place on the national sporting stage, but will also create thousands of jobs and inject millions into our economy – which in turn will allow us to reinvest the dividends into essential services,” he said.

The Mercury, Friday 8 december 2022