The federal government has pledged $240 million for the Macquarie Point urban renewal project. Release of those funds is dependent upon the state government submitting a revised plan for the precinct for the consideration of the federal government.
In a 2 May 2023 radio interview with the ABC’s Leon Compton, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, set out the commitments the state government had made to the federal government to seek to get their funds “over the line”.
The precinct plan that must be submitted for federal government consideration will include:
- social and affordable housing
- a transport corridor
- the upgrade of Macquarie Wharf 6
- a stadium
and will be developed in consultation with:
- the RSL
- the Hobart City Council
- First Nations communities.
On 23 June 2023, Premier Rockliff gave a firm commitment to the Joint Parliamentary Accounts Committee that the revised precinct plan would be finalised by 1 October 2023. He also advised the Committee that he “look(ed) forward to providing updates to the community as this (the design phase of the process) takes place”.
The Macquarie Point Development Corporation is still working through the feedback received as part of its recent survey process, set up to feed into the development of a new iteration of the Macquarie Point Precinct Plan, “refreshed” to reflect the new reality of a stadium as its dominant element.
At Our Place we believe that, when this plan is presented to the federal government, there must be an opportunity for public scrutiny. Tasmanians have a right to know what the federal government is being asked to fund. We are the ones who will have to live with it.
It is less than two weeks until the scheduled filing date of 1 October 2023!
That’s why we are asking you to contact the Premier and the Minister for Stadia. Demand that they release the Plan. We can flood their inboxes with messages. We can let them know that this is important to us and that we are tired of the secrecy surrounding the proposal.
The action is now finished