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AAP
AAP
Politics
Ethan James

Premier pressed to reveal stadium cost before key vote

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is under pressure over the Macquarie Point stadium's costs. (Rob Blakers, Ethan James/AAP PHOTOS)

Tasmania's government is being urged to ensure the full cost of a contentious AFL stadium is made public before the project reaches a vote to decide its fate.

Construction of the $945 million roofed venue at Macquarie Point in Hobart is a condition of the island state's licence for AFL and AFLW entry in 2028.

Tasmania's planning commission will hand down its assessment report on September 17 after weeks of mid-year hearings examining the project. 

To get the green light, the stadium must be voted through both houses of state parliament.

It is supported by the governing Liberals and the Labor opposition, meaning it will get through the lower house, but needs the backing of several independents to pass the upper house.

Independent MP Kristie Johnston (file image)
Independent MP Kristie Johnston says Tasmanians deserve full transparency over the stadium's costs. (Ethan James/AAP PHOTOS)

Lower-house independent Kristie Johnston, who opposes the stadium, will on Wednesday table a motion compelling the Liberals to release the project's full cost. 

Any conditions placed on the project by the commission leading to greater costs should be made public before the vote, she said.

"What I'm asking for is that all members of parliament and the public understand exactly what this AFL and stadium will cost Tasmanians," Ms Johnston said.

"We already know the cost of the project has increased significantly over the course of the last couple of years."

Premier Jeremy Rockliff spruiked the stadium in state parliament on Tuesday, the first sitting since his government's minority rule was confirmed after a snap July poll. 

Premier Jeremy Rockliff during a sitting at Parliament House
Jeremy Rockliff needs crossbench support to get the stadium proposal through the upper house. (Ethan James/AAP PHOTOS)

"If governments of all persuasions ... did not invest in key enabling infrastructure ... then we would be living in paddocks and caves," he said. 

The planning report would help form "the next processes needed to ensure the parliament has its say", Mr Rockliff said. 

Multiple upper-house independents have voiced concerns about the stadium, citing Tasmania's ballooning budget debt and the fact AFL is already played at two existing venues. 

The AFL has maintained the Devils will not be granted a licence without the Macquarie Point stadium.

The football club is pressing ahead and recently announced it would enter teams in the second-tier VFL and VFLW competitions in 2026.

Tasmania Devils signage (file image)
The AFL says it won't grant the Devils a licence without the Macquarie Point stadium. (Loic Le Guilly/AAP PHOTOS)

The stadium is meant to be completed in time for the Devils' second season in 2029, with Tasmania facing financial penalties if it doesn't meet construction deadlines.

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff repeated calls for the stadium deal to be renegotiated.

"We simply can't afford a stadium which will add almost $2 billion to Tasmania's debt by the end of the decade," she said.

"We have teams heading off to the VFL and VFLW. Tassie's teams are happening, with or without the new Macquarie Point stadium."

Tasmania's 35-seat parliament contains 11 crossbench MPs, the majority of whom oppose the stadium.

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