Government’s handling of the stadium issue not good enough
5 SEPTEMBER 2026, OUR PLACE – HOBART released the results of polling on the Mac Point stadium by respected national polling company, uComms.
You can view results of the polling here.
Spokesperson for OUR PLACE, Roland Browne said:
The uComms polling reveals three key things:
First, that Tasmanians are not buying the government’s secrecy on stadium cost. A massive 74.4% of respondents want the cost of the project to be revealed, with over 61% strongly agreeing. The Premier has lost credibility, and he’s lost the trust of the electorate.
Secondly, a majority (arguably ~70%) want the AFL to pay the cost overruns.
Thirdly, the government’s handling of the issue has fallen well below community expectations, with 50% of respondents not supporting the government’s handling of the issue.
In short, people are unhappy with both the government and the AFL, being the 2 parties to the disastrous May 2023 AFL agreement.
Given this project is now looking to cost between $2.0 billion and $2.5 billion (including interest) according to the latest estimate*, people rightfully want to know what the Premier has got us all into.
While it’s the Premier’s pet sport project, it’s our money and it’s our education system, our health services, our museum staff, and our police officers that are now being, and will continue to be, cut. All of this, to pay for a stadium that was never wanted, is a planning disaster, and will desecrate the Cenotaph.
The government must disclose the true cost of the stadium, and the loan costs, promptly. They must tell the truth.
*Dr Gruen in his June 2026 report says the proposed stadium’s cost will blow out to at least $1.5 billion, with a further $460m in interest payments. And that’s the best case scenario. The worst case scenario is over $1.75 billion + interest of some $700m over 10 years.