Tasmanian Election Debate Centres on New Stadium and Native Forrests

Premier of Tasmania, Jeremy Rockliff speaks during a press conference in Hobart, April 29, 2023. Tasmania looks set to have its own AFL team after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged an additional $240 million to the state government to build a new waterfront stadium in Hobart. AAP Image/Loic Le Guilly

Plans for a new AFL stadium and the protection of native forests from logging were the hot topics at the final leader’s debate at Hobart Town Hall ahead of Tasmania’s upcoming state election on March 23.

The island state’s elections are typically closely contested, with a history of minority governments and intricate political manoeuvres. The major parties, the Liberal Party and the Labor Party, often compete fiercely, along with the Greens, who have a strong presence in Tasmanian politics. The defection or cross-bench move by two MPs triggered the election, nearly 12 months earlier than scheduled.

Liberal incumbent Premier Jeremy Rockliff is battling to retain his party’s presence in the face of a strong challenge from the Rebecca White-led Labor Party. Mr. Rockliff said his party is within “striking distance” of the 18 seats required to form a government, but polling is predicting a hung parliament, meaning the Liberals will have to rely on minor party support.

Questions regarding the need for a proposed 23,000-seat roofed stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart, set to host the new AFL franchise, the Tasmanian Devils, were levelled at Mr. Rockliff, who acknowledged there was considerable opposition to the $715 million facility.

The new ground is a requirement for the Tasmanian Devils to gain entry into the AFL and AFLW in 2028, but opposition to its construction has mounted from groups like RSL Tasmania who say the construction will divert attention from “the environmental and cultural impact” of their “world-class cenotaph.”

Other community groups have questioned the immense expenditure during a housing and cost of living crisis. Mr. Rockliff made a concession that a lot of the debate crowd wouldn’t agree with the plan but said he is committed to building a “world-class” stadium, saying, “Maybe more people in this room, maybe 50 percent don’t agree ... But you cannot deny you know where I stand.”

Ms. White’s take was that expenditure was unnecessary, quoting an economic model forecasting a $300 million loss for the stadium over 20 years. She then accused Rockliff of being flippant with taxpayer’s money to fund the whole project after saying he had earlier committed to a funding cap of $375 million, with the balance to be funded through private investment.

Rockcliffs retorted that Ms. White was anti-sport: “Rebecca, you’ve been all over the place on this. Trying to kill the team and the dream every step of the way.” White said she wanted the teams to prove their economic worth to Tasmania before a new stadium is considered.

Tasmanian Labor Leader Rebecca White in 2021 Chris Crerar/AAP Image

Environmental Protest

The contentious discussion surrounding the logging of native forests also got limited airing, hampered by a large presence of environmentalists who were vocal throughout the debate.

A group calling themselves “Forest and Oceans Defenders” representing the Bob Brown Foundation protested outside the venue over the exclusion of minor party representatives from the debate and called for climate change action and protection of the environment.

On March 12, a group of demonstrators chanted, “Forests die. We die. We cannot be silent,” forced the shutdown of another debate in Hobart.

The Liberals have recently announced plans to create a 40,000-hectare “wood bank,” covering 27 parcels of native forest-clad land. Known as the Future Potential Production Forest, it will be made available to the logging industry to ease the supply issues of interstate exporting contractors should the Liberals re-enter Parliament. According to Rockcliff, the plan would “give certainty” to the sawmillers.

Just before yesterday’s debate, a media release from the Bob Brown Foundation Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said both major parties were complicit in destroying native forests and animal habitats.

“Until Tasmania’s Labor and Liberal leaders come good on environmental and climate action, they are representing the nature destroying corporations and failing the Tasmanian people. Ending native forest logging is urgent and the majority of Tasmanians want protection of the wildlife-filled forests across the island,” the statement read.

“Both Labor and Liberal leaders are backing in the ongoing destruction of critically endangered swift parrot habitat and some of the world’s most carbon-dense forests.”

Health Issues

Ms. White attacked Mr. Rockcliff and the Liberal Health Ministry’s record on reducing surgical wait times, citing the example of a constituent who waited 800 days for treatment of an unspecified illness.

“With respect ... I do care a lot about the example and all Tasmanians that are waiting too long on our waiting lists,” Mr. Rockcliff said, before adding the Liberals have “invested significantly over the course of the last 10 years, ”pointing towards figures that show elective surgery wait lists had ... gone down from “a high of 12,200 to around 8000 now.”

Housing and Cost of Living

The effects of the cost-of-living crisis incited policies from both parties on housing. The Liberals have proposed to reduce stamp duty for “Young Tasmanians” looking to buy their first home under $750,000, and Mr. Rockcliff reinforced that the plan would come to fruition if reelected.

Mr. Rockcliff said the discount would “literally make the difference between being able to buy a first home or not—particularly given the need for a large upfront cash deposit when buying a house.”

Ms. White, in turn, trumpeted Labor’s promise to put a cap on power prices as winter approaches and outlined their scheme to fund the deposit for first-home buyers by which the government would front the money to any eligible Tasmanian, which would be paid back when the house is sold.

“If you can afford to pay your rent, you can afford to pay a mortgage,” Ms. White said recently.