New AFL high performance centre for Tasmania Devils team hits hurdle with $45m cost blowout
The Tasmanian government has revealed a $45 million blowout in the cost of building a new AFL high performance centre for the Tasmania Devils.
The construction of the team's training and administrative headquarters was one of the AFL's key requirements when it agreed to allow a Tasmanian side into the competition.
The project was initially priced at $70 million, with Kingston selected ahead of Rosny as the preferred location late last year.
But the project is now estimated to cost $115 million.
The state government will cover $105 million of the total cost, with the AFL to contribute the remaining $10 million.
"We've done a considerable amount of due diligence, we've done a considerable amount of planning to understand what it will cost to deliver this project," Sports Minister Nick Duigan said.
"The budget will reflect that understanding at $105 million."
The deal for a 19th AFL team signed in 2023 requires the state government to "use its best endeavours" to achieve "practical completion" of the facility by the end of 2025.
Mr Duigan said the current time frame would see the project reach that stage by October 2027, several months before the Devils officially enter the competition in 2028.
Tasmania Devils general manager Kath McCann said she was happy with that plan.
"Time frames are going to be tight but I'm really confident that we can work together in the spirit of getting this project delivered and we're going to deliver something really special for Tasmania," she said.
Labor supports the high performance centre, but accuses the government of mishandling the project.
"I think we've got a government that doesn't do the due diligence at the start," opposition shadow minister for finance Luke Edmunds said.
Kingborough Mayor Paula Wriedt said there were still lots of milestones to be reached before the high performance centre could be built.
"The design work is nearly finished, which is very exciting, we hope to have a development application lodged in the next few months and go to tender late in the year," she said.
Another hurdle for the high performance centre is receiving parliamentary approval for a Macquarie Point AFL stadium to be built, a prerequisite for the AFL team.
The Planning Commission is assessing the stadium proposal under the Project of State Significance process, but the state government has announced plans to walk away from that, citing a lack of confidence in the assessment.
It has instead promised to introduce special enabling legislation.
It is guaranteed to have the support of a majority of lower house MPs, but needs two upper house independents to support it for the stadium to be approved.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has said it will be the only vote parliamentarians receive on the stadium proposal, adding there will be no Tasmanian AFL team and no stadium if MPs vote the enabling legislation down.
Cr Wriedt said the high performance centre would be great for her community, but acknowledged the "risk" of it not going ahead, unless state parliamentarians supported the stadium.
"But I think that there is a great deal of support within the Kingborough community to see all of these projects happen."
Like the high performance centre, the stadium project has also experienced cost blowouts, with the government's $715 million cost estimate becoming $775 million.
But external quantity surveyors estimate the true cost to be closer to $900 million, plus enabling infrastructure such as a food and beverage fit-out, excluded from the estimate.
The state government has also been accused of abandoning its promise to cap taxpayer expenditure on the project at $375 million, with borrowings from the Macquarie Point Development Corporation to be used to cover $160 million of the stadium cost, plus any cost overruns.
But the government says borrowings were always part of the plan, and has denied breaking its word.
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