Ms BURNET (Clark) – Honourable Speaker, I thank the opposition for bringing on this matter of public importance. First, I want to go to a couple of things the Treasurer hinted at. He talked about cutting red tape. Just a few moments ago in this Chamber, we heard an answer from the Minister for Transport about getting screens into buses to protect bus workers. Unfortunately, it sounded like a lot of red tape to get something as simple as protecting bus drivers and getting transit workers on –
Mr Abetz – The national heavy regulator. National.
Ms BURNET – It is still red tape, minister. The other thing that the Treasurer talked about was the benefit to our children in relation to the stadium. I put it to you, Treasurer, that this is over a billion dollars and it is going to cause huge amounts of intergenerational debt for our children, and there is no denying that.
The Tasmanian Planning Commission’s interim report suggests that the stadium proposal was generous with projections, and the proposed benefits are described as ‘excessive’ in some parts of the report.
If we want to drive tourism, trade and major investment for our state, we should look no further than Macquarie Point, where we have something which is worth $183 million to our economy annually, and that is the Antarctic gateway. Hobart as an Antarctic gateway city is very important to ensure that there is ongoing investment. There are about 1000 well paid jobs, which need to be protected, yet what we are seeing is this erosion of the viability of the gateway project with this stadium project and all that that brings, and the chaos at Macquarie Point with this dogged approach to making sure that there is a stadium at any cost.
My concern, and the Greens’ concern, is that the problem may well be that the Antarctic Division and the status of Hobart as an Antarctic gateway city worth $183 million is in jeopardy, particularly when we see the berth for the Nuyina. It is still something that needs to be built by TasPorts, and that is going to take a number of years to finish. When asked at Estimates, it was deemed that it would take between three and four years. The TasPorts CEO was very confident that it could be delivered despite Macquarie Point waste treatment works being removed, and despite all of the other things that are occurring at Macquarie Point in relation to events down there and making sure that the stadium is delivered.
My concern is writ large in relation to the ability of this government to deliver the stadium project, but also to back in those existing important investments and trade and the tourism dollar that the Antarctic Gateway provides. We know the impact on tourism, particularly in the north-west, because of the debacle that has been TT-Line’s and TasPorts’ ferry and Devonport wharf upgrades. There have been significant problems with that project.
It is not good enough that the government believes that just backing in the stadium – not listening to any of the economic reports that have come; I think we are up to our fourth report now. The TPC interim report really spells it out.
Time expired.
