Latest news with #MacquariePoint
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘No confidence' cloud hangs over Devils
AFL: A 'no confidence motion' towards the Tasmanian premier has left plenty of doubt around the future of the Tassie Devils as Macquarie Point stadium development could be in danger.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Now that Rockliff is toppled, what will happen to Devils AFL team and stadium?
As political turmoil continues to engulf Tasmania, the Devils AFL team remains at high risk of becoming collateral damage. But depending on who you speak to, the level of danger for Tasmania's fledgling AFL club varies. On one side, there is a view that the no-confidence motion moved against Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff has no material effect on Tasmania's plans to build the Macquarie Point stadium and, thus, enter the AFL. The argument is that even though an election has been triggered, the worst-case scenario is an upcoming parliamentary vote on the Macquarie Point stadium will simply be delayed for a few months — and when the dust has settled, the team and stadium train will roll on. But there are fundamental flaws with that argument, and they are two-fold. The first relates to contractual timelines that the Tasmanian government must meet per its contract with the AFL for a team — and a crucial one is to be met by June 30. That is the cut-off for obtaining all required planning and environmental approvals for the stadium. The stadium — pivotal to the Devils survival — has bounced from one planning process to another. Rightly or wrongly, the government has tabled legislation aimed at bypassing the Project of State Significance process bid to fast track the stadium, cognisant of looming deadlines. A vote to pass or deny that legislation — which, if passed, would have granted planning approval for the stadium — is due in the coming weeks. An election does not simply delay that. It obliterates it. It will mean the parliament is dissolved and puts the vote itself in doubt. It is true, timelines agreed upon in early 2023 have been bent and massaged over the past two years. And on current timelines, the vote would fall just outside the June 30 cut-off. But a week or two is small potatoes. An election will be a roast dinner. The Devils' high performance centre — which faced steep geotechnical hurdles at the club's preferred site of Rosny, and was subject to an elector poll of Clarence City residents — has also been pushed back. But that was a year ago, and the centre still remains on track to be built. The real threat lies in the uncertainty and the make-up of a future parliament which nobody knows what it will look like — not even the Labor party. It is what prompted tears from Devils boss Kath McCann on Wednesday, and chief executive Brendon Gale to declare that an election puts the team "at risk". If Tasmanians are marched to the ballot box, the current make-up of the state's lower house will change. The government will most likely change too. However, what is highly unlikely is either major party winning a majority of seats in the parliament. This is where the Devils are snookered. It is extremely likely that whoever wins the most seats will need the support of the Greens or the crossbench to form government, and neither major party will deal with the Greens. That leaves a hodgepodge of currently unknown independents that will be relied upon. And while the numbers in the lower house may change, the flavour of the crossbench will probably remain the same. That flavour is strongly anti-stadium. While the Labor and Liberal parties both support the stadium and the team, that matters for little if neither are able to form government without convincing anti-stadium crossbenchers to flip — and that will be first chip those crossbenchers attempt to cash. Which independent will support a minority government without demanding the stadium be dropped? Will pro-stadium independents be elected, when the stadium remains grossly unpopular amongst the Tasmanian public? Even if the Liberals had opted to change leader instead of opting for an election, which of their members would have garnered crossbench support without being required to drop the stadium and therefore the team? There was no path, without a significant change of heart from one of the two vehemently anti-stadium independents who are currently in support of Labor's no-confidence motion. And while the government was propped up by supply and confidence agreements from independents, some of them anti-stadium, a number of those agreements are not even with the Liberals but with Mr Rockliff himself. Even David O'Byrne, the staunchly pro-stadium and team independent, would not have supported a leader of the Liberal party not named Jeremy Rockliff. Mr O'Byrne's sister, Michelle O'Byrne, is the speaker of the house. It had been suggested she could use her casting vote to, as former Premier Peter Gutwein said, "end the madness". That didn't happen, such is her Labor allegiance. That leaves the last pathway — the AFL. There is zero prospect of the AFL removing the condition for a stadium at Macquarie Point. It simply won't fly with the 18 club presidents who already needed their arms twisted to agree to the current deal. Other material changes, like the requirement for a roof on the stadium, also won't be up for negotiation. Rumours continue to swirl of a Labor pivot to the proposed Stadium 2.0 proposal, but the ABC understands the party has told the Devils that is not in their plans. The ABC also understands that the Stadium 2.0 proposal is looked upon even less favourably than the Macquarie Point stadium by a large chunk of the Tasmanian Parliament, including the Greens. Where there may be some bend is on timelines. There exists a world where the AFL allows an election to run its course, and if whoever forms government somehow manages to keep its pro-stadium position intact, perhaps things can continue, albeit delayed. That is the hope of Labor but it is a huge if, and an enormously high-stakes gamble. And at this stage, that is currently all the hope the Devils have.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Where to find Dark Mofo's free art and experiences in Hobart
Tasmania's festival Dark Mofo gets underway today, with thousands set to attend drawcard events like the Winter Feast, Night Mass and international musical acts. There are lots of free art experiences in some unusual venues across Hobart — from a live car crash on Hobart's Regatta Grounds to a 5-metre goblin in a disused 1870s church, and a thought-provoking exhibition by a Tasmanian Aboriginal artist in the basement of an old furniture shop. Hidden across the city, art lovers can also find a naked man covered in sand, a baptism in a Freemasons lodge and a collective scream in a "sprawling wasteland". Dark Mofo creative director Chris Twite describes this year's festival as a "behemoth", set to light up the city in its signature red colour theme. "It carries across all of the city, with everyone lighting up their businesses and houses red," he told ABC Radio Hobart. It is Mr Twite's first festival in the key creative role, and his measure of success will be people emerging from the warmth of their homes into the cold and darkness to experience the festival. "Success for me is that we see people on the streets getting involved, wandering around and talking to strangers and neighbours and exploring interesting, weird … and glorious things," he said. The family-friendly Dark Park is back, taking over Macquarie Point near Hobart's port. "It's a sprawling wasteland filled with incredible art and fire," Mr Twite said. It could be the last time Dark Park will be held at Macquarie Point, as a stadium project is slated for the site. "It'll be a different feel but it'll still be large and expansive with a couple of giant artworks for people to check out." The area includes Dark Bar, which offers music nightly with "warm tipples, nibbles, purging fears and trips to the afterlife". The trip to the afterlife is a nod to Simon Zordic's Coffin Rides, where festival-goers can get inside a coffin and receive a souvenir photo of the experience. There's also the opportunity to view this year's Ogoh-Ogoh statue, a giant Maugean skate, and write down a fear to put inside it before it is burned at the end of the festival. The sculpture Quasi, a grumpy-faced hand, will look over Dark Park from the roof of the Henry Jones Art Hotel. It wouldn't be Dark Mofo without a warehouse full of lights, and that's what the installation Sora will offer, with "kinetic light beams". A 12m-wide installation, Neon Anthem, asks visitors to take a knee and scream, and Channelling by Hannah Foley is a sound experience using tones from deep under the Gordon Dam. Brazilian artist Paula Garcia's performance work Crash Body: Aftermath will be live on Saturday June 7 at the Hobart Regatta Grounds. "It'll be tense and very strange," Mr Twite said. "It's a choreographed, tension-filled two hours involving two drivers and two cars, racing around with a series of near misses until they finally crash into each other," he said. It is the first time the artist has presented a work of this scale in Australia. The performance will be replayed at Dark Park on Sunday June 8, and from June 12–15. Inside an 1870s disused sandstone church on the corner of Brisbane Street and Elizabeth Street is Basilica, a free venue offering a "sanctuary of art" with fire and drinks. Chocolate Goblin by Melbourne artist Travis Ficarra warns of nudity and adult themes, where a "naked, pregnant form lingers on the edge of desire and disgust". Also exhibited is Mortal Voice, a single video of "extreme metal voicing and gesture, stretched to extend the artist's guttural voice into uncanny realms of spectral distortion". Trawlwoolway artist and playwright Nathan Maynard does not shy away from difficult themes in his work We Threw Them Down The Rocks Where They Had Thrown The Sheep. Housed in the basement of the old Coogan's building at 79 Collins Street, Maynard's artwork highlights museums' history of stealing and displaying the remains of First Nations ancestors. It is open every night and you can check the times here. Inside the State Library and Archive of Tasmania is Revolution & Silence, which includes an installation by Brigita Ozolins, a Tasmanian artist with a background in librarianship. The exhibition is described as a collision of books, history, art and conversation. Ozolin's installation in the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts considers George Orwell's novel 1984 and free speech, while looking at current politics, fake news, artificial intelligence and social media. A collection of challenged, banned or restricted books will also be on display, and available to read in a Silenced Reading library. Festival-goers won't have to be anywhere in particular to experience Everything Is Recorded, a project by British record producer Richard Russell. It will come them via a sound system usually reserved for emergencies and mass evacuations. The 30-minute, improvised meditation on the winter solstice can be heard up to 7 kilometres away in every direction and will be projected all over Hobart at 8pm on Friday June 6 and at 6pm on Saturday June 14. Inside City Hall on Saturday June 14 at 7:30pm, Cuban-born artist Carlos Martiel will perform a one-off work called Custody, enduring "two hours of rising sand and crushing weight over his naked and restrained body", as a statement on black deaths in custody. Martiel will also exhibit work relating to racial violence in the basement of an old bank at 84 Bathurst Street. Hobart Central Carpark will host 1,000 Strikes, which warns of loud noise and low light and will contain orchestral gongs and improvised music and movement. The Rosny Barn plays host to Nexus: Totality, featuring the silhouette of a Kunanyi boulder, and the Plimsoll Gallery will have Gordon Hookey's major new exhibition, A Murriality. The Freemason's Grand Lodge of Tasmania on the corner of Davey Street and Sandy Bay Road will house a "relentless baptism" by performance artist Ida Sophia. Getting the kit off and plunging into freezing water is so popular that the free Nude Solstice Swim on Saturday June 21 is at capacity, but the festival says to check the website in case more tickets become available. There are also more free events on out at Mona, the Hanging Garden and Good Grief Studios. The festival will come to an end with the burning of the Ogoh-Ogoh on Sunday June 15 and entry to the Winter Feast is free.
ABC News
3 days 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.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
What you need to know about the Tasmanian government's fast-track legislation for the Macquarie Point AFL stadium
After weeks of talking about it, the Tasmanian government has released its stadium-enabling legislation for public consultation. The legislation takes a lot of reading, with a 140-page report delving into lots of detail. Here are some of the key takeaways. The last cost estimate for the stadium, released late last year, was $775 million. That has now jumped by a whopping $170 million. The top line: the stadium is now officially estimated to cost $945 million, getting close to the $1 billion price tag — which stadium opponents like the Greens predicted long ago. There are three main reasons for that. Firstly, the earlier estimates left out quite a few items — such as food and beverage facilities, advertising signage and audio-visual systems — that the government had previously hoped would be paid for by a private partner. But it has now decided that the Macquarie Point Development Corporation (MPDC) — the body in charge of transforming Macquarie Point into "a vibrant mixed-use precinct" — will do the build, then try to bring in the private operators. That additional cost comes to $75 million. There are also some new additions, mostly due to requests from cricket organisations. They include a chairman's lounge, a tier-one media box and additional food and beverage offerings. Not to mention another previously left-out calculation, the relocation and fit-out of the heritage-listed Goods Shed. These two things — the new additions and the Goods Shed relocation and fit-out — total $57 million. Finally, the cost blowouts or "design clarifications" that arose, including expanding the internal floor area, cost $38 million. As to what it all means for the government's "$375 million and not a red cent more promise"? Well, the government maintains that is the only capital it will put in, with the gap funded by borrowings. Those borrowings will be repaid through land sales and private partnerships. That is the million, or billion, dollar question. Some things still haven't been factored in, such as the multi-storey underground car park, now reduced to two stories from three. The cost of the northern access road, which the government argues is necessary, is yet to be factored in — although it will be included in this Thursday's budget. It is not out of the ordinary for a major infrastructure project to blow out in cost in Tasmania, but MPDC chief executive Anne Beach says the corporation is confident in the work they have done, and contingencies have been built into the cost estimate. "We're at 50 per cent detailed design. From here, we're looking at continuing to clarify and to make innovations and look for efficiencies," Ms Beach said. "It includes 7 per cent design contingency and 10 per cent construction contingency. That's over $100 million of this budget is contingency." The government claims it has addressed the vast majority of the issues raised in the Tasmanian Planning Commission's draft report through its Enabling Legislation Report, released on Tuesday alongside the draft enabling legislation itself. While they may have been addressed, they have not necessarily been dealt with — which now means the project must satisfy 35 conditions for approval. The conditions include things such as an evacuation plan, flood mitigation and noise mitigation, as well as limiting the hours for events at the stadium: According to the legislation, the answer to this is the minister for industry, business and resources — currently Eric Abetz. He is in charge of ensuring the terms and conditions of each relevant permit are met. Other agencies have "endorsement and enforcement responsibilities". For example, the flood and emergency plan would fall within the remit of the police commissioner and the fire and emergency services coordinator. But largely, it's the secretary of the Department of State Growth, who reports to Mr Abetz. The minister has lots of power, which has already drawn the ire of crossbenchers including Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff. "This legislation is draconian and bringing it to parliament is an utter farce," she said. The bill gives the minister the power to amend any relevant planning scheme or order if it is inconsistent with the stadium. The minister will also be able to issue more permits if they are essential to the operation of the stadium — but they will need to consult with the regulators, and any additional permits will require approval from both houses of parliament. The minister can also amend the project scope or conditions attached to the permit — but only after they check with Hobart City Council and all regulators. Although if the changes are "minor", the minister will not need to run them past the council or regulators. A minor change would be one that: To the annoyance of Cricket Tasmania and Cricket Australia, the project still contains a roof. But both the government and MPDC are determined to keep the roof and ensure cricket can be played in the stadium — particularly because it was a key part of the financial case for the stadium. Ms Beach confidently said that resolving cricket-related concerns — particularly the shadows cast by the roof beams — was well underway. "We've … looked at other venues and looked at how they've managed those and found that the dispersed nature of the shadow is quite minor when you experience it on the field," she said. She said the MPDC would be "looking at materials and at some of the way our structural members are positioned". In its submission to the Tasmanian Planning Commission, the TSO outlined its support for the stadium and AFL team, but it was worried about construction and event noise. To overcome this, the TSO suggested extra soundproofing for its Federation Concert Hall, restrictions on construction noise and vibration, temporary relocation to other venues for time-critical operations such as recording, and compensation if events are cancelled. The government has agreed to fund these measures at a cost of $4.45 million, although it is unclear if this was included in the total stadium cost. The stadium is on a tight timeline, and, given how many other big projects get locked up in appeals, it makes sense the government would want to prevent this scenario. The legislation makes it clear: there will be no appeal rights. In fact, it goes as far as saying the bill "extinguishes all rights of appeal", including the right to appeal to a court or tribunal or seek a review under the Judicial Review Act 2000. The bill is out for public consultation for three weeks, then it will be tabled in parliament and up for debate. The government is hoping to pass it through the Legislative Council in July, which requires the support of three Upper House independents. If the legislation passes, the Project of State Significance process will end. And the stadium will be approved with plenty of conditions to meet. The government wants swift progress, with Mr Abetz hoping building can start later this year.
