Tasmania's parliament has approved a contentious £1.13bn AFL stadium, clearing the way for the Tasmanian Devils to join the AFL and AFLW. The 23,000-seat roofed venue at Macquarie Point was passed by the upper house at 11pm on Thursday after two days of debate.
The vote was 9-5, with four independents, three Liberal and two Labor MPs in favour. The decision ends years of speculation, as key independent MPs declared their support on Wednesday. Construction of the stadium is a condition of the Devils' licence to enter the national competitions in 2028.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff, who signed the contract with the AFL, championed the venue as a once-in-a-generation project and an economic driver. The government has capped its spend at £875m as part of a deal to secure the support of independent MP Bec Thomas, who was briefly in tears during the debate, acknowledging community opposition.
Critics argue the stadium is not a priority amid ballooning budget debt, and a peak planning body recommended against it due to costs outweighing benefits. The stadium's cost has blown out from an initial £715m estimate; Rockliff once pledged the state would not contribute more than £375m.
The AFL is contributing £15m to the build, and the federal government £240m for the site. Anti-stadium group Our Place – Hobart flagged further protests but conceded no legal challenges remain. The deeply divisive project has drawn protests on both sides, with an estimated 15,000 people attending a pro-stadium rally on Sunday.
