The Liberals’ half a billion dollar bailout for TT Line is a damning indictment on their gross mismanagement of the new Spirits project, but it’s also a warning of the risks the Macquarie Point stadium poses.
Replacing the Spirits was a big, important project, but it should’ve been pretty straight forward. The fact it’s been so hopelessly bungled speaks volumes about this government’s ineptitude.
Given how miserably they’ve failed with the Spirits, you’d think the Liberals would have learned their lesson. Instead their approach to the stadium is even more worrying.
The stadium is a much larger, more complex and more expensive undertaking than the Spirits replacement but the Liberals are already playing it fast and loose with the project.
Just recently we’ve seen them refuse to admit they need to transparently update project cost estimates in the face of a global cost crisis.
They can’t explain their plans for key infrastructure at Macquarie Point. They’ve supported a highly questionable company to bid for the construction contract, despite a track record littered with major concerns. And of course the project is already way behind time and over budget.
The government’s secrecy and obfuscation was a feature of the Spirits saga, and we’re seeing the same again with the stadium. This lack of transparency only increases the risk of major problems.
Whether you support or oppose the stadium, everyone should be concerned about the direction this project is already headed. If the Spirits bailout was a $500 million hit to the state budget, how much more will Tasmanians be paying for the stadium?
With the Liberals in charge, construction costs skyrocketing, and so many unresolved problems associated with the Mac Point site, it’s looking like the stadium price tag will quickly head past $2 billion.
