Ex-Liberal hits out at 'bankrupting' AFL stadium
One-time attorney-general Elise Archer was part of Tasmania's Liberal government in May 2023 when it signed a deal with the AFL for the Devils' inclusion in the competition in 2028.
Construction of a roofed stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart is a condition of the licence.
Ms Archer quit the party and parliament in September 2023 amid bullying allegations, which she denied, but is running at the July 19 state election as an independent.
She accused Premier Jeremy Rockliff of making a "captain's call" on the stadium and not consulting with the Liberal party cabinet.
Mr Rockliff said Ms Archer's description of consultation wasn't correct.
"The stadium went to the budget committee, went to cabinet. My colleagues were kept informed of the agreement," he told reporters on Wednesday.
Tasmania has been flung into a second election in as many years after minority premier Mr Rockliff lost a no-confidence motion in parliament.
The motion, put forward by Labor and supported by the Greens and three crossbench MPs, was critical of Mr Rockliff's budget management.
The island state's net debt is set to more than double to almost $11 billion in 2028/29.
Ms Archer said she couldn't support the stadium in its current form - the estimated cost has ballooned to $945 million from an initial $715 million.
The Liberals, who once pledged to cap their stadium spend at $375 million, will need to borrow an additional $300-plus million to cover a shortfall after dropping a part-private funding model.
"When we did have that policy for a stadium it was a different time and there was a finite amount that would be put in, of taxpayer money," Ms Archer told ABC radio.
"We can't just put in endless buckets of (taxpayer) money … because it will bankrupt the state.
"No other side, no other state in Australia has had this type of condition placed on it by the AFL."
The Liberals and Labor both support the stadium, but the Greens and some minor parties and independents who could hold crucial balance-of-power positions are opposed.
Final approval of the stadium is expected to rest with a vote of parliament.
Under Tasmania's voting system, seven MPs are elected in each of the five electorates.
Ms Archer, who will stand in the Hobart-based electorate of Clark, was the second biggest vote getter in the seat when she last ran in 2021 as a Liberal.
The Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required to govern in majority.
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ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
RSPCA's Andrea Dawkins responds to announcement Tasmania's greyhound racing industry will end
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9 News
4 hours ago
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Funeralgoers call to protect journalists after Israel's 'targeted assassination'
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Perth Now
6 hours ago
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State's major call on greyhound racing
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