The 22 October Public Accounts Committee hearing into Coordinator-General John Perry’s controversial stadium opinion piece has raised serious questions about the independence of his analysis and the use of government resources to support a major Liberal government policy.
Perry appeared before the committee chaired by Ruth Forrest MLC to explain his Mercury opinion piece published on 11 October, which argued the $1.1 billion stadium project was affordable and would generate $4.97 in economic activity for every dollar spent. The piece has been seized upon by the government as justification for proceeding with the project despite mounting concerns about Tasmania’s rising debt.