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Opinion
Do political elites really know what is best for a city by committing vast sums of taxpayer funds into a project at a time when the majority of Tasmanians do not want a new stadium, despite their desire for a Tasmanian AFL team?
When the Prime Minister was asked at a press conference on April 29 why the stadium was going ahead in the face of public opposition, he noted the prowess of political leaders knowing what was best for the national interest.
How arrogant, and how unconvincing at a time when many Tasmanians and Australians are struggling to meet their everyday higher cost of living needs.
Did Tasmania need a shiny $715 million new stadium to get the expected crowds that would accompany it becoming the AFL’s 19th side, now enabled by the Tasmanian government committing $375 million and the Commonwealth government $240 million?
Rather than take sides about how such public money should be spent, with one recent suggestion that the same proposed Hobart site could feature 1000 homes, a swimming basin, and a relocated state library at a cost of around $400 million, let us look at the facts in football fan terms to decide whether a new stadium is warranted.
Hobart is not building a stadium (27,000 capacity) that is lightyears ahead of the existing expected standard needed to host a weekly football match and attract fans.
After all, North Melbourne and Hawthorn have been playing AFL home matches in the existing Hobart and Launceston stadiums for a number of years with reasonable crowds turning up to such decent stadiums which already have capacities of 19,500 and 19,000.
University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Such grounds could easily make the necessary adjustments to achieve a higher 27,000 capacity in line with growing demand given the strong likelihood that many more Tasmanians will support a local team rather than North Melbourne and Hawthorn.
It also makes sense for the two existing stadiums to keep sharing AFL games, in much the same way that Sydney has two NRL teams that play home games in different regions to accommodate their fan-bases (Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra).
As it stands, the Tasmanian Premier has stated that Launceston’s existing AFL use stadium will still host four AFL matches once the new Hobart stadium is built, although he also acknowledges that AFL’s cooperation with the fixtures will be required.
What has been good enough for Sydney with its 5 million population also appears logical for Tasmania with a relatively paltry population of just 570,000, with Hobart and Launceston having around 250,000 and 100,000 respectively.
The AFL demands a new stadium, yet allows the Western Bulldogs to play a few matches at a pretty ordinary Mars Stadium (11,000 capacity) when compared to Tasmania’s existing football stadiums in Hobart and Launceston.
Why does the AFL host games in Darwin and Alice Springs, given their limited capacities and facilities with capacities of 12,500 and 7500?
Will the AFL be insisting that Canberra also build a new and expensive stadium if it is to host an AFL team, despite Manuka Oval also improving its facilities over the years in line with existing demand (now 16,000 capacity)?
Sure, down the track, both existing stadiums in Tasmania would also need to be upgraded, and perhaps a new stadium warranted in time due to growing demand or logistic reasons.
It has been wrong for policy elites to aid the AFL’s demand for a new stadium, especially in light of a lack of public support by most Tasmanians.
In these tougher economic times, it would be much wiser for policy elites to consider supporting proposals to develop old and new stadiums in line with existing public demand rather than insist on a shiny new stadium simply for the hell of it, one where a very expensive ground may only host seven AFL home matches per year as long as Launceston rightfully remains in the AFL equation.
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