In another dystopian display of deflection Jeremy Rockliff has implied he’ll walk away from the Macquarie Point stadium Project of State Significance assessment process even before public hearings can occur – silencing Tasmanians.
The Premier said in Parliament that public submissions already being made would be noted. But he conspicuously avoided mentioning public hearings at all. Reading between the lines, it looks like those hearings will never go ahead, with the stadium pulled out of the POSS process beforehand.
Avoiding public hearings would mark a new low in the life of this contentious project.
The Premier saying he will “note” written submissions is cold comfort for Tasmanians. Experience tells us those submissions will be ignored, just like the many thousands of written submissions into other pet-Liberal projects get ignored, and like the lip service paid to the government’s Development Assessment Panels Bill.
The Liberals have a consistent record sidelining Tasmanians with genuine concerns about this beautiful island.
Jeremy Rockliff has also sidelined the Hobart City Council, dismissed the report of the globally recognised economist Nicholas Gruen, among others. He has now shovelled Tasmanian taxpayer money into the pockets of an international law firm in an effort to discredit the Tasmanian Planning Commission’s eminent panel of experts.
And now Mr Rockliff will prevent Tasmanians from having their say in public hearings.
Tasmanians should have a government that represents and listens to their views, rather than doing the bidding of the AFL.
