The stadium has already had four budget blowouts and the Tasmanian Planning Commission’s report makes clear if the stadium is to be built, there will be more.
Following release of the Tasmanian Planning Commission’s report, the Premier revealed the stadium itself has had a fourth budget blowout, with the cost now estimated at more than a billion dollars.
But if this project is to go ahead, the cost blowouts won’t stop there. The Tasmanian Planning Commission has identified a number of additional costs which will be necessary for the stadium to operate.
There’s the cost of treating stormwater to make sure it doesn’t impact the surrounding environment – something which even the proponent identified as requiring ‘high capital expenditure’. Additional onsite remediation also needs to occur to ensure Tasmanians aren’t exposed to contaminants.
Investment needs to be made to ensure pedestrian movement is safe – like widening footpaths and removing trip hazards. There are also modifications needed on the roof so cricket can be played in the stadium. No one knows what the full extent of the modifications needed – not even Cricket Tasmania who’s been working with the proponent for months.
That’s not to mention the additional costs of transforming our transport system to prevent gridlock in Hobart and surrounding suburbs when events are on at the stadium. This is on top of the additional costs already revealed but not budgeted for the relocation of the Goods Shed.
The only additional costing we have the actual dollar amount for is to address noise issue for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra – to the tune of $4.5 million. But we know there’s going to be millions more cost blowouts on the horizon for this disastrous development.
In addition to uncosted, and omitted elements, The Planning Commission explicitly states that the Government’s stadium cost estimates are ‘optimistic’ and ‘there is a significant risk, much higher than estimates’.
Continuing budget blowouts are going to add to the dire situation of accumulating state debt. The Planning Commission highlights the challenge of servicing and paying off this debt, flagging increased taxes or cuts to services. With the Premier ruling out taxes and health and housing services Tasmanians already underfunded and failing to meet Tasmanian’s needs, we simply can’t afford a stadium.
The unequivocal recommendation that the stadium should not proceed should be everything the Premier, Labor and all independent members of Parliament need to reject this stadium and support renegotiation of the entry of Tasmania’s teams into the national football competition.
