Ms O’CONNOR (Hobart) – Mr President, I rise to speak briefly on the adjournment tonight to place onto the Hansard record a letter that members in this place have received from the RSL Tasmania in relation to the proposed Macquarie Point stadium. It is a moving, poignant letter that calls on us to exercise our conscience and act to protect the sacred ground of the Cenotaph. The letter says this: (TBC 4.09)
Re upholding independence and protecting Tasmania’s heritage – The Hobart Cenotaph and the Macquarie Point Stadium proposal.
That’s the heading.
I write to you on behalf of RSL Tasmania and its members across the state to appeal for your independent and conscientious consideration of the findings of the draft Integrated Assessment Report and the Tasmanian Planning Commission’s assessment regarding the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium. As you are aware, both the IAR and the Commission’s report confirmed that the proposed development would cause significant and irreversible harm to the heritage values, setting and commemorative function of the Hobart Cenotaph. The evidence is clear. The Cenotaph’s visual prominence, contemplative atmosphere and national symbolism would be permanently diminished. RSL Tasmania is not anti-development but we are steadfastly pro-remembrance. We believe progress must never come at the cost of values, heritage and identity that define Tasmania. This issue now rests in the hands of the Legislative Council, the Chamber long recognised as the House of sober second thought.
In particular, it falls to the independent members to uphold the principles of impartiality, integrity and courage that define Tasmania’s upper House. Your independence is vital. You are not bound by the directives or ambitions of any political party, nor should you be influenced by external pressures, political, commercial or otherwise. In this moment, you are the conscience of your constituencies, the guardians of due process and the protectors of Tasmania’s heritage. Each of you holds a mandate to represent the people, not party interests. That independence carries both privilege and responsibility to weigh the evidence before you, to act without fear or favour, and to uphold the integrity of decision making that defines this Chamber. As the IAR and the Tasmanian Planning Commission confirm, no mitigation can offset the harm the proposed stadium would inflict on the Cenotaph.
Once its setting and reverence are lost, they cannot be restored. This is not a question of political ideology, but one of cultural and moral responsibility. RSL Tasmania urges you to exercise your independence in full, to consider not only the present debate but the legacy your decision will leave for future generations. The Cenotaph stands as Tasmania’s most sacred place of remembrance. It deserves nothing less than your unwavering protection.
We remain ready to engage constructively on any future planning or development pathways that balance progress with preservation but in this instance, we trust you will uphold what is right, not what is politically expedient.
Yours faithfully
Mike Gallagher
RFD
Bachelor of Business in Accounting
CPA State President of RSL Tasmania
I note, Mr President, that RSL Tasmania and the Friends of Soldiers Walk, represented by John Wadsley, have requested an opportunity to brief members of the Legislative Council on their concerns about the project and the order itself. I look forward to hearing in person from the RSL Tasmania and Friends of Soldiers Walk. I wonder, Mr President, on the indulgence of the Council, whether I could seek leave to table this letter.
Leave granted; document tabled.
