Upper House Vote Clears Way for $1.13bn Hobart Stadium

A much-anticipated vote in Tasmania’s upper house has cleared the way for Hobart’s controversial stadium, ending years of political wrangling and uncertainty over the project’s future.

The approved plan comprises a 23,000‑seat, fully roofed stadium at Macquarie Point on the city’s waterfront.

The project cost has ballooned from initial estimates in 2022 of $715 million to a current price tag of about $1.13 billion.

Backed by the state government and with contributions from the federal government and the Australian Football League, the finances behind the stadium had been central to debates over its merit.

Under the deal, the AFL will chip in $15 million and the Commonwealth $240 million, however, the majority of the cost will be paid by Tasmanian taxpayers.

The stadium plan began in 2023 after an agreement between the state and the AFL that effectively made a roofed, waterfront stadium at Macquarie Point a non‑negotiable condition of granting a licence to a Tasmanian AFL team.

In the Upper House, after debate that ended about 11pm Thursday, nine members voted in favour and five against. Four independent upper‑house members backed the project, which clinched its passing.

▲ A rendering of the stadium planned for the Hobart waterfront. The state government has passed the scheme.

The development will now move from the approval phase into delivery—the state and the Macquarie Point Development Corporation can begin formal tendering and contracting under the chosen procurement method.

Design‑and‑construct procurement was selected over a public‑private partnership after the government decided this would provide the greatest certainty and be the fastest road to delivery.

The detailed design work that underpinned the project’s enabling legislation will now translate into formal construction plans, including site works, infrastructure upgrades (roads, access, utilities) and layout for both the stadium and surrounding precinct.

The first physical works on site are expected to begin next year and include ground remediation, site preparation and possibly early structural work.

▲ The stadium is central to a Tasmanian side being admitted to the AFL.

Because the stadium is tied to the entry of the Tasmania Devils into the AFL, the government and other stakeholders will also begin planning how the stadium will be programmed—including AFL and AFLW games, cricket and concerts.

During the final stages of the campaign to approve the stadium, Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff said the decision was a chance for Tasmania to aim high.

“As a growing state, reaching for aspiration and opportunity for young people, we must pursue ambitious projects like that at Macquarie Point,” he said.

He defended the decision despite criticism from the state’s planning authority, arguing that a report by that body “massively underestimated the social and economic benefits” of the new venue, and insisted the state should not let parochialism and politics get in the way of opportunity.