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Labor should adjust its position on a new stadium in Hobart for the fledgling Tasmania Devils Football Club, according to party stalwarts and key unions.
But the party is unlikely to turn entirely to the planned construction at Macquarie Point, which is part of the contract signed between the state and the AFL.
Analysts say the campaign’s “confusion” over its stance at the stadium contributed to Labour’s defeat in Saturday’s state election.
On Tuesday afternoon, Rebecca White announced she would resign, leaving the party’s leadership open.
Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union Tasmanian secretary Richie Hassett said explaining the party’s position on the stadium to union members had been a challenge.
“From the conversations I’ve had with my members in the workplace, they were certainly a little confused about the Labor Party’s position on all of this,” he said.
“I think the Labor Party would perhaps, in hindsight, have articulated its position a little better.”
Hassett is hopeful of what he calls a return to Labour’s “core values” regarding the stadium.
“We want our members to be supported with well-paid jobs and good conditions.”
“Major infrastructure jobs are difficult to come by here in Tasmania, and when they arise we want to ensure we get the best possible outcomes for our members.
“We would like to think the Labor Party supports that.”
Former Labor leader urges rethink
Labor initially opposed the stadium, before later voting to progress through the planning process for the state-significant project.
During the election campaign, Labor expressed strong support for the new club and said they would try to “renegotiate” the stadium deal.
He has since faced criticism for not outlining his negotiating terms or an alternative plan for a southern headquarters for the team.
Former Labor leader Bryan Green said his party needed to rethink its stance following the launch of the Tasmania Devils club and the massive addition of foundation memberships.
“We have to be in a position where people understand that we are not going to compromise the team for political reasons,” he said.
“I wouldn’t want Tasmania to have no team because we can’t address the stadium issue.”
More than 75,000 people purchased $10 foundation memberships to the new Tasmania Devils AFL and AFLW team within 24 hours of launching in March, exceeding the club’s expectations of 40,000 members in October.
Green believes the government needs to explore an alternative option to the Macquarie Point site, which Labor still believes presents significant budgetary and engineering challenges.
“It is necessary to have a clear head when making this project a reality,” he said.
“Whether it’s stadium 2.0 at Regatta Point or some other negotiation with the AFL, getting to a point where something sensible can be done.”
AFL does not budge on the deal
Font’s public relations director, Brad Stansfield, who led the Liberals’ election campaign, believed Labour’s lack of a clear position could cost them the election.
“If the Labor Party had taken a strong position against it from the beginning, if Rebecca White had stood at Macquarie Point every day and said, ‘I hate this’ and every other day she had said, ‘I’m going to build a hospital in ‘the Labor Party would be in government,’ he told the FontCast podcast.
“I fully expect the Labor Party to have a position under its new leader (and) I hope that position is to support him, but criticize him for how much it costs and how many bricks are not laid.”
Former Labor minister and senator Terry Aulich said the party should have tried harder and sooner with a clear position.
He also said Labor should consider backing the alternative Stadium 2.0 proposal, despite its proponents seeking a $715 million commitment from the state government.
“The second option is actually quite attractive if you think about it. They are hospitals, residences, it is much more than a stadium,” he said.
But the 2.0 plan has now been shelved by the state government, following a series of briefings with its proponents Dean Coleman and former Labor leader Paul Lennon.
The AFL also rejected the proposal and will not budge on the agreement it reached with the state government in May last year.
The deal calls for a 23,000-seat indoor stadium at Macquarie Point.
A change to the agreement would also not be endorsed by the AFL’s 18 club presidents, whose signatures are needed to ratify the league’s expansion.
“The club presidents have been very clear about this. The deal is the deal,” Adelaide Crows president John Olsen told the ABC.
Rebecca White was the leading advocate for a renegotiation of the agreement, focusing on removing the stadium condition.
It is unclear whether that is still the party’s stance.
“That’s a conversation that will have to happen among the new caucus,” Ms. White said.
“I’m not going to preempt any political decision that a new caucus is going to make. It hasn’t even been called yet.”
Dean Winter, who remains the only confirmed candidate for the Labor leadership, has also talked about “sitting down like adults” with the AFL.
He previously expressed deep concerns about the Macquarie Point site.
Stadium evaluation progresses
The stadium was a requirement of the licensing agreement to shore up the Devils’ financial position, due to the lack of a suitable base in the south for the new club.
Bellerive Oval, with its limited 12,000-seat capacity and restrictive suburban location, was deemed financially unviable in the long term for the club, which will aim to convert at least a third of its 170,000 founding members into full season ticket holders by 2028.
Last month, the Tasmanian Planning Commission finalized guidelines for the project, and the Macquarie Point Development Corporation compiled the submission for the stadium to be housed later this year.
The project is expected to take approximately 12 months to be assessed before returning to parliament for a final vote by both chambers.
If the planning commission approves the stadium, Labor could well side with the government to approve it in parliament, given its willingness to send the project through the planning process in the first place.
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