Labor’s post-election back flip to support the proposed AFL stadium on Hobart’s waterfront, has smoothed the way for the project in Parliament. But those who oppose it and are concerned about the stadium’s impact are not backing away from the fight. The stadium eventual design is about to come under intense scrutiny, while new details about how it will be funded have been revealed.
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00:00 Macquarie Point has been a blank slate for decades.
00:08 And while there are artists' impressions of the proposed waterfront stadium, how the finished
00:13 product will look is unclear.
00:15 "We could end up with a stadium that completely dominates the cenotaph."
00:21 Before the stadium can be assessed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission as a project
00:25 of state significance, it'll need to firm up more than just the design.
00:30 The guidelines listed in the 30-plus page commission document include consideration
00:35 of the effects on people with a cultural association with the cenotaph or the Macquarie Point headland,
00:41 views to and from the project site, especially to Kenany Mount Wellington, and off-site effects,
00:48 including the impact of short-term workers on the availability and affordability of rental
00:53 accommodation.
00:54 "The government is spending millions of dollars on the design and planning requirements that
00:59 need to be assessed.
01:00 The full folly of this development will come in time and if the planning commission does
01:05 its job, I'd expect it to knock it off."
01:09 They'll also have to consult stakeholders, like the RSL, who are opposed to the project.
01:14 "If it doesn't dominate the cenotaph anymore because it's lower than the cenotaph in the
01:19 sense that it doesn't obscure all the critical views and it doesn't overpower the cenotaph,
01:24 then that's a further conversation to be had."
01:27 While we might not know what it'll look like, we now know how the government plans to pay
01:31 for it.
01:32 It'll choose a private capital firm to partner with, as part of a competitive bid process.
01:38 The stadium will still need final approval from parliament.
01:42 In the upper house, its fate will rest with independence.
01:45 "I am for a stadium, however, as with any issue, I will need to consider all of the
01:51 information that comes to affirm me in my role before I will decide how I will vote,
01:56 as well as listen to the people I represent."
01:59 The Macquarie Point Development Corporation is expected to reveal its stadium architect
02:03 this week.
02:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]