Latest news with #KathMcCann
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Tassie Devils CEO Brendon Gale responds to AFL club's ‘giant mess'
Tassie Devils chief executive Brendon Gale put on a brave face on Wednesday evening amid explosive reports the expansion AFL club is fighting for survival. While a 'very optimistic' Gale spoke confidently about the club being 'on track' and even ahead of schedule, he did float the possibility the club's controversial stadium – if it does go ahead – may not be ready to launch in 2028. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The AFL's 19th franchise went public with a plea to state government figures after Tasmanian Labor on Tuesday filed a no-confidence motion against Premier Jeremy Rockliff. The extraordinary development means Tasmanians could be heading back to the polls if another election is called. The move comes amid allegations the Rockliff Government has mismanaged the Apple Isle's budget and bungled key infrastructure projects, including the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium. That's the venue the Devils hope to call home when they enter the AFL in 2028. Rockliff has been one of the emerging football club's strongest supporters — even in a climate where there has been widespread anger towards the planned $1 billion stadium. Kath McCann, the Devils' general manager of marketing, corporate affairs and social impact, on Wednesday broke down in tears at a press conference. Pressure is seemingly building on the club's entry to the competition, but 56-year-old Tasmanian Gale adopted a confident tone when he discussed the precarious situation on AFL 360. 'There's some uncertainty around the leadership of government and … there's a vote of no confidence in the premier,' he began. 'But as far as we're concerned, it's business as usual. 'We're getting on with the business, we have to, of building an organisation and building teams. 'Clearly our existence is conditioned upon the delivery of a stadium and that's an agreement between the AFL and the state government and that stadium needs to clear passage of both Houses of Parliament. 'That process is underway at the moment and that process will run its course, that hasn't changed. 'There's some uncertainty around leadership and maybe the composition of parliament, but that really hasn't changed. 'We've just got to get on with the job and controlling things we can control.' The AFL has always maintained a Tasmanian team entering the AFL was dependant on a new stadium being built in Hobart. The Macquarie Point project has been highly divisive right from the start and that was before estimated costs first began to blow out from an initial figure of $755 million. It was revealed last month the total cost of the project has blown out to at least $945 million. The Tasmanian state government has pledged $375 million towards the roofed, harbour-front stadium, while the federal government has committed to $240 million. The AFL body's $15 million contribution has also been made public, leaving more than over $300m remaining to be funded through state borrowings. Gale was asked if he felt any unease about the budget blowout. 'Not really,' he said. 'Sorry it's a significant amount of money, but I was aware, I had line of sight. 'And to be fair, when I saw the original quotes three years ago, anyone who's anyone involved in any form of construction or development would be aware of escalation rates the last three or four years. 'So that number was always skinny and always going to be a bigger number. 'It's a big cost, but it's a huge investment, it's a really important investment and it's an investment the government has deemed to be worth making. 'We need as a state to continue to invest in growth.' Gale then talked through the obstacles facing the club in relation to the stadium and the Tasmanian government. 'At the moment it's on track,' he said. 'It's in parliament now, the legislation which enables the whole development is in parliament and it's been debated and scrutinised. 'It'll need to clear the Lower House and enter the Upper House in late July and if it's cleared, the government walks away with a set of planning approvals really. 'In that respect, were that to take place, it's probably ahead of course. 'It may not be ready by round one, 2028, but there's a process to accommodate that as well. 'As soon as possible is best for us and the AFL and the Tasmanian community, but it's on track.' Gale remains confident the club will proceed as planned, regardless of who leads the state, declaring it has 'broadbase political support'. He also emphasised the opportunity the Devils can provide. 'It's not about football, it's about the potential to lift this whole state, and we believe in that,' he said. 'You just saw the response of Kath McCann, it's a responsibility that sits heavily with us.' An emotional McCann had to compose herself before addressing the media earlier on Wednesday. 'This club is powered by future generations,' she said. 'I've got 50 students out here in my sight line, they power us every single day and they will keep doing that. 'We're going to play on. We want to see this team become a reality because our young people deserve it.' The football club also released a media statement confessing the political turbulence is threatening the club's survival. Leading Tasmanian sport journalist Brent Costelloe on Tuesday night told Channel 9 it is a 'giant mess'. The ABC's Chris Rowbottom also described the precarious position the club finds itself in on X. 'Tasmania's AFL license hangs by the barest of threads,' Rowbottom posted. 'There's an acceptance that an early election spells the end of any stadium, including alternate proposals, and the Devils.' He earlier reported there was a widely held view the 'Devils will be dead' if a state election is called. Gale spoke at length about the difficulties in convincing Tasmanians of the stadium proposal, describing them as 'always big, they're expensive and there's always a whole range of other priorities'. He also said existing stadiums in Hobart and Launceston aren't 'fit for the purpose of providing a sustainable, commercial business model to underpin a team in the big league on a sustainable basis'. But the former Richmond player and chief executive reiterated his confidence in the project moving forward. 'Recent events might create some more uncertainty, but no I think parliament is very supportive,' he said. 'Even this motion brought in the last 24 hours, wasn't about football or about the stadium, it was about some budgetary concerns, but I guess it sparked this chain reaction. 'So I'm confident the more people in the community understand the importance of the stadium, how it's critical to meet the commercial, financial requirements of a team in the biggest sporting competition in Australia, the more they understand how it will unlock a whole range of other financial, economic, social, cultural benefits, the more people are open to changing their minds and supporting of it.
ABC News
16 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
What the political turmoil means for the Tasmanian Devils AFL team and Hobart stadium
Tasmania's AFL licence hangs by the barest of threads, following a day of mass upheaval in the state parliament. A no-confidence motion against Premier Jeremy Rockliff, moved by the Labor opposition and supported by a majority of the house, was being debated into Wednesday evening. The outcome is likely to result in the ousting of Mr Rockliff as premier, potentially sending Tasmanians back to the polls, a little over a year since the last election. That potential election throws the Macquarie Point stadium, and plans for the Tasmanian Devils, into chaos. At a press conference this morning, Devils general manager of marketing, corporate affairs and social impact, Kath McCann, broke down in tears when discussing the possibility of the team falling over before formally starting. "The goings on of the last 24 hours are really serious for the club. This is an unprecedented level of uncertainty for the club," she said. Both houses of Tasmania's parliament were due to vote on special enabling legislation designed to grant planning approval for the stadium, within the next six weeks. But an early election could see that opportunity to vote disappear, leading to what the club would consider an irreparable blowout in construction and team establishment timelines. The Devils have accepted that outcome would likely void the government's deal with the AFL, that stipulates the Macquarie Point stadium be built by early 2029. "It'd be fair to say that the level of uncertainty would be significantly heightened," McCann said. There has been no appetite from the AFL, or its 18 club presidents, to re-negotiate or rubber stump a new deal that allows those timelines to be extended, or for the stadium clause to be removed. "If those contractual terms can't be met, there's no Plan B. There is no understanding from the club that a re-negotiation would be entered into," Ms McCann said. The AFL has been contacted for comment. Former Richmond champion Jack Riewoldt has been working with the Devils on an advisory basis. He said the club remained focused on taking to the field in 2028 but was wary of the unfolding political situation. "It's critically important for us to exist," he said of the stadium. Champion woodchopper David Foster has also been recruited to the club as part of a 'posters and coasters' campaign in pubs and clubs across the north-west. "We're our own worst enemy, to be honest with you," he said. The stadium is considered pivotal to the state's financial viability and was first floated by the Tasmanian AFL taskforce as part of its original bid for a license. Amidst speculation that Labor may attempt to pivot to the alternate Stadium 2.0 proposal, the ABC understands the party has communicated to the Devils that was unequivocally not in their plans. Stakeholders and unions have expressed their concern that the stadium is now under a dark cloud. "I envisaged there being a decade's worth of work off the back of a stadium, and that sures up a lot of work for our members into the future," said Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union organiser Ritchie Hassett. Footy fans have reacted to the no-confidence motion with scorn too. In a post on a popular pro-stadium social media page which boasts 23,000 members, administrator Mark Brown said Opposition leader Dean Winter and Labor member for Clark Josh Willie has been booted from the group. Labor has supported the government's plans to build a stadium as part of its deal with the AFL since early last year. In parliament, Mr Winter insisted that the no-confidence motion was not about the stadium or team. "You can have the leader of the Greens, and the Greens and others, saying 'yes team, no stadium' but its not true. They know its not true," he said. "In order for our state to get an AFL team, we need a stadium and that's why it's not in our motion. "We supported the premier in building the stadium that he wanted to do, but that's not what this motion is about." This afternoon, the Greens attempted to pass an amendment to the motion that would have made specific reference to the stadium, but that was voted down 25 votes to 10. Mr Rockliff has previously indicated that if a no-confidence motion was passed against him, he would seek to call an election, but whether that happens remains to be seen. He may decide to resign his leadership and allow a fellow Liberal party member take his place — but that would require the support of the house. Amongst the leading candidates is the minister responsible for the stadium, Eric Abetz, but whether he would have the support of the house is unclear.
News.com.au
19 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Tears as AFL's Tasmania team falls apart over state government plot
The Tasmania Devils are fighting for their survival with political chaos rocking the entire state on Wednesday. The AFL's 19th franchise has gone public to make a plea to state government figures after Tasmanian Labor on Tuesday filed a no-confidence motion against Premier Jeremy Rockliff. The extraordinary development means Tasmanians could be heading back to the polls if another election is called. The move comes after ongoing allegations the Rockliff Government has mismanaged the Apple Isle's budget and bungled key infrastructure projects, including the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium — the venue the Devils hope to call home when they enter the AFL in 2028. Rockliff has been one of the emerging football club's strongest supporters — even in a climate where there has been widespread anger towards the planned $1b stadium. Kath McCann, the Devils' general manager of marketing, corporate affairs and social impact, on Wednesday broke down in tears at a press conference. 'This club is powered by future generations,' she said after stepping away from microphones to compose herself. 'I've got 50 students out here in my sight line, they power us every single day and they will keep doing that. 'We're going to play on. We want to see this team become a reality because our young people deserve it.' The football club has also released a media statement confessing the political turbulence threatened the club's survival. 'The political uncertainty that is currently unfolding in the Tasmanian Parliament is of great concern to Tasmania Football Club,' the football club said. 'Like the rest of the community, we are unsure what will happen today and what the impacts of any actions taken might be. What we do know is that uncertainty presents a serious risk for jobs, investment and growth, and for the future of Tasmania Football Club. 'Tasmania Football Club remains steadfast on building a Club for all Tasmanians. We are also steadfast on staying out of politics. We ask that our political leaders understand the implications of their actions and decisions on the future of our state for all Tasmanians, a future which we know Tasmania Football Club can play a significant part.' McCann said the optics for Tasmania pulling the pin were 'really bad'. 'What this looks like is uncertainty, what this looks like is a risk to invest, what this looks like is a state that isn't unified,' she said. 'I think we're better than that and our leaders need to think about the consequences of their actions.' Leading Tasmanian sport journalist Brent Costelloe on Tuesday night told Channel 9 it is a 'giant mess'. The ABC's Chris Rowbottom has also written on X, describing the precarious position the club finds itself in. 'Tasmania's AFL license hangs by the barest of threads,' Rowbottom posted. 'There's an acceptance that an early election spells the end of any stadium, including alternate proposals, and the Devils.' He earlier reported there was a widely held view the 'Devils will be dead' if a state election is called. The AFL has always held a policy that a Tasmanian team entering the AFL was dependant on a new stadium being built in Hobart. The Macquarie Point project has been highly divisive right from the start and that was before estimated costs first began to blow out from an initial value of $755 million. It was revealed last month the total cost of the project has blown out to at least $945 million. The Tasmanian state government has pledged $375 million towards the roofed, harbour-front stadium, while the federal government has committed to $240 million. The AFL body's $15 million contribution has also been made public, leaving more than over $300m remaining to be funded through state borrowings. Leading figures in the state, including recently re-elected independent Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, have criticised the AFL for its demands for a new stadium in the state capital. Lambie said in January the project 'is not viable'. 'The state government needs to go and tell the AFL where to stick it right now and tell them it's not going to play the game,' she said. She called for the government to 'tell AFL Australia that quite frankly the deal is a dud, and that's it'. Leading football reporter Sam Edmund on Wednesday told SEN: 'Jeremy Rockliff looks doomed as Tasmania premier. Doesn't have the numbers to withstand the current vote of no confidence. 'The stadium — and therefore the Devils licence - now on very thin ice. There's a world where both major parties take a pro-stadium approach to another election, but given it's so hard to get a majority down there they'll have to cut deals with independents & Greens and the first thing to negotiate will almost certainly be the stadium that most of them despise. 'That's the source of the uncertainty given stadium is yet to go to a vote.' Economist Nicholas Gruen has warned the proposed stadium leaves 'Tasmanians at risk of paying too much for too little,' generating just 44 cents of benefit for each dollar of cost. Tuesday's no-confidence bombshell came just under 15 months since Tasmania's last election. The Liberals secured 14 of the 35 lower house seats in the 2024 state vote, giving Mr Rockliff a tenuous minority government. Labor last month resisted calls from the Greens to back a no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff. But opposition leader Dean Winter dramatically changed his tune on Tuesday during his budget-reply address and now all bets are off.
ABC News
21-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Concerns and hopes aired at public debate over Hobart's proposed Macquarie Point stadium
Cost, location, and the benefits to aspirational young Tasmanians have emerged as key themes during a public forum to debate Hobart's proposed Macquarie Point stadium. A 70-person crowd filled ABC Hobart's foyer on Wednesday afternoon, made up of those for, against, and undecided over the planned multi-purpose facility. Tasmania's AFL team being allowed to play in the national competition hinges on a new roofed stadium being built. It's a key condition of the government's deal with the AFL. The panel — made up of Tasmania's Business Minister Eric Abetz, the Tasmania Devils AFL team general manager Kath McCann, prominent architect Mat Hinds, and Independent MLC for Elwick Bec Thomas — fielded wide-ranging questions from the public. Among them, the possibility of renegotiating the terms of the AFL's deal to either move the stadium's location, or scrap it all together. "But the deal is there for all to see, that is what we are pursuing." Mr Hinds, an architect with Taylor and Hinds who gave evidence to the parliament's Public Accounts Committee on the stadium's impacts, said the current site was "far too small" for the size of the development. "The building itself is drawn to fit, but what we're not seeing is all of the energy of that building and its servicing requirements," Mr Hinds said. "It's 10 metres higher than the Tasman Bridge. One point of ongoing contention raised by the audience was the cost to build the stadium — a figure estimated by Tasmanian Planning Commission to be about $1 billion. Earlier this month, the Tasmanian government confirmed it would no longer seek private investment to help fund the stadium, opting instead to fund the construction through existing funding and extra borrowings. The government plans to sell off the broader Macquarie Point precinct to pay for the loan, which is expected to be in the hundreds of millions. While acknowledging the stadium and team came at a "big cost", Ms McCann told the crowd the team and the stadium could not be separated, and the economic benefits would bear out. "When this comes to town, the indirect benefit of new businesses popping up in this state will be enormous," she said. "I know it feels like the AFL have starved us, but they are setting this club up for success. Another sticking point raised by the audience was the approval pathway to make the stadium a reality. The state government has promised to introduce special legislation to allow the stadium to be built, after saying it no longer had faith in the Project of State Significance (POSS) process, which is currently being undertaken by the Tasmanian Planning Commission. The special enabling legislation hasn't been released, but it is expected to be voted on in June. Ms Thomas, one of the independent Legislative Council members whose vote will decide if the legislation passes, said cost was "front of mind" in her pending decision. "If I'm making a decision with my heart, Tasmania deserves a team," she said. "However … we have to make decisions with our heads. Lily Mills, a student at the Tasmania Academy of Leadership and Sport, said it would help keep younger people in the state. "Without the stadium or without the team, how else could the state offer the same standard of opportunities that the Tasmania Football Club has created and will continue to create," Ms Mills said. Earlier in the day, politicians and the tourism sector also made their views known. Peak-bodies representing the tourism, events and hospitality sector — the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA), Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT), Business Events Tasmania Board and Destination Southern Tasmania — said the "the once in a generation opportunity was too important to lose". In a joint statement, they urged Tasmanian policymakers to "back the stadium for its critical economic and social value and to create a vibrant entertainment precinct at Macquarie Point". All six Tasmanian Greens MPs gathered at York Park in Launceston to announce they had written to AFL boss Andrew Dillon on Wednesday asking for the stadium to be dropped as a condition of the licence. Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff labelled the stadium "a heartless and unfair" condition and called on Premier Jeremy Rockliff to ask the AFL to renegotiate the terms of the deal. "The train's left the station, the Tasmanian people and our team are onboard, and we're not going to have a stadium with us," Dr Woodruff said. Meanwhile, independent MPs Miriam Beswick and Rebekah Pentland called on the state and federal governments, along with the AFL, to "find a better way forward". "The three key players need to sit down and find a way forward that exposes taxpayers to less risk," Ms Beswick and Ms Pentland said in a joint statement.
ABC News
18-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
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.
