Voters want AFL stadium deal redo but leaders unmoved

The Advertiser

6 hours ago

An AFL stadium deal worth close to $1 billion is on the nose with most voters in one state but neither the premier or his would-be replacement are sniffing the electoral breeze.
With a snap election weeks away, Tasmanian voters were surveyed on their attitude to a contentious deal struck with the AFL to build a $945 million roofed stadium at Macquarie Point.
The Hobart stadium is a condition of the licence for the Devils' inclusion in the competition in 2028.
The online poll of 842 voters, conducted by YouGov on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute from June 12 to 16, indicates most Tasmanians believe the stadium deal is unfair.
More than two out of three (69 per cent) support Tasmanian parliament renegotiating with the AFL to avoid constructing a new stadium.
Support to renegotiate was even stronger among Labor supporters (71 per cent).
Liberal voters were the most likely to disagree (38 per cent) but a majority (56 per cent) still backed the proposition.
More than two-thirds of those surveyed also believed the AFL was treating Tasmania unfairly in its requirements for granting the state a licence.
The AFL has been staunch in its refusal to renegotiate the deal, declaring the stadium a non-negotiable condition.
The Australia Institute's Leanne Minshull said the deal was a "dud" and one of the most one-sided in Australian sport.
"This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don't want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don't want," she said.
Some analysts have described the July 19 state election as a referendum on the stadium, but Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winter have been unwilling to budge on their support.
Mr Rockliff was sticking to his guns on Monday, dismissing the poll as "bodgey" and "anti-jobs".
"This week we would've been putting forward legislation to in fact get on with the job and build the stadium ... (but) unfortunately Dean Winter and Labor forced the election," he told reporters.
Mr Winter also reaffirmed his support for the stadium while criticising the way the AFL deal came together without cabinet approval or treasury advice.
"This has been a problem that Jeremy Rockliff has created and it's a problem that now needs to be dealt with seriously and methodically," he said.
Mr Rockliff separately revealed one of two Spirit of Tasmania replacement ships was expected to arrive in August.
The vessel has been docked in Scotland for six months after his government unsuccessfully tried to lease it.
The other has been undergoing sea trials in Finland, with Tasmania to officially take ownership during the week.
The ferries won't be in service until late 2026, years behind schedule, because a berth has not been built in Devonport.
The Spirit of Tasmania debacle was one of the reasons cited by Labor in its successful no-confidence vote against Mr Rockliff.
An AFL stadium deal worth close to $1 billion is on the nose with most voters in one state but neither the premier or his would-be replacement are sniffing the electoral breeze.
With a snap election weeks away, Tasmanian voters were surveyed on their attitude to a contentious deal struck with the AFL to build a $945 million roofed stadium at Macquarie Point.
The Hobart stadium is a condition of the licence for the Devils' inclusion in the competition in 2028.
The online poll of 842 voters, conducted by YouGov on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute from June 12 to 16, indicates most Tasmanians believe the stadium deal is unfair.
More than two out of three (69 per cent) support Tasmanian parliament renegotiating with the AFL to avoid constructing a new stadium.
Support to renegotiate was even stronger among Labor supporters (71 per cent).
Liberal voters were the most likely to disagree (38 per cent) but a majority (56 per cent) still backed the proposition.
More than two-thirds of those surveyed also believed the AFL was treating Tasmania unfairly in its requirements for granting the state a licence.
The AFL has been staunch in its refusal to renegotiate the deal, declaring the stadium a non-negotiable condition.
The Australia Institute's Leanne Minshull said the deal was a "dud" and one of the most one-sided in Australian sport.
"This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don't want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don't want," she said.
Some analysts have described the July 19 state election as a referendum on the stadium, but Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winter have been unwilling to budge on their support.
Mr Rockliff was sticking to his guns on Monday, dismissing the poll as "bodgey" and "anti-jobs".
"This week we would've been putting forward legislation to in fact get on with the job and build the stadium ... (but) unfortunately Dean Winter and Labor forced the election," he told reporters.
Mr Winter also reaffirmed his support for the stadium while criticising the way the AFL deal came together without cabinet approval or treasury advice.
"This has been a problem that Jeremy Rockliff has created and it's a problem that now needs to be dealt with seriously and methodically," he said.
Mr Rockliff separately revealed one of two Spirit of Tasmania replacement ships was expected to arrive in August.
The vessel has been docked in Scotland for six months after his government unsuccessfully tried to lease it.
The other has been undergoing sea trials in Finland, with Tasmania to officially take ownership during the week.
The ferries won't be in service until late 2026, years behind schedule, because a berth has not been built in Devonport.
The Spirit of Tasmania debacle was one of the reasons cited by Labor in its successful no-confidence vote against Mr Rockliff.
An AFL stadium deal worth close to $1 billion is on the nose with most voters in one state but neither the premier or his would-be replacement are sniffing the electoral breeze.
With a snap election weeks away, Tasmanian voters were surveyed on their attitude to a contentious deal struck with the AFL to build a $945 million roofed stadium at Macquarie Point.
The Hobart stadium is a condition of the licence for the Devils' inclusion in the competition in 2028.
The online poll of 842 voters, conducted by YouGov on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute from June 12 to 16, indicates most Tasmanians believe the stadium deal is unfair.
More than two out of three (69 per cent) support Tasmanian parliament renegotiating with the AFL to avoid constructing a new stadium.
Support to renegotiate was even stronger among Labor supporters (71 per cent).
Liberal voters were the most likely to disagree (38 per cent) but a majority (56 per cent) still backed the proposition.
More than two-thirds of those surveyed also believed the AFL was treating Tasmania unfairly in its requirements for granting the state a licence.
The AFL has been staunch in its refusal to renegotiate the deal, declaring the stadium a non-negotiable condition.
The Australia Institute's Leanne Minshull said the deal was a "dud" and one of the most one-sided in Australian sport.
"This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don't want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don't want," she said.
Some analysts have described the July 19 state election as a referendum on the stadium, but Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winter have been unwilling to budge on their support.
Mr Rockliff was sticking to his guns on Monday, dismissing the poll as "bodgey" and "anti-jobs".
"This week we would've been putting forward legislation to in fact get on with the job and build the stadium ... (but) unfortunately Dean Winter and Labor forced the election," he told reporters.
Mr Winter also reaffirmed his support for the stadium while criticising the way the AFL deal came together without cabinet approval or treasury advice.
"This has been a problem that Jeremy Rockliff has created and it's a problem that now needs to be dealt with seriously and methodically," he said.
Mr Rockliff separately revealed one of two Spirit of Tasmania replacement ships was expected to arrive in August.
The vessel has been docked in Scotland for six months after his government unsuccessfully tried to lease it.
The other has been undergoing sea trials in Finland, with Tasmania to officially take ownership during the week.
The ferries won't be in service until late 2026, years behind schedule, because a berth has not been built in Devonport.
The Spirit of Tasmania debacle was one of the reasons cited by Labor in its successful no-confidence vote against Mr Rockliff.