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During the recent Tasmanian election, one question came up again and again: "What exactly is Labor's position on the Macquarie Point stadium?" Labor kept saying it was the "wrong priority", but chose not to kill it off when given the chance in parliament. Labor said it would renegotiate the deal with the AFL, but did not immediately say this was to remove the stadium requirement. Labor entertained an alternative stadium proposal — the privately-backed, so-called 2.0 option — but criticised the government for not naming its Macquarie Point investors. Labor would not say if it would vote against the stadium when it came back to parliament for a final vote, but was still opposed to it on principle. As construction union official Richie Hassett said during the campaign: his members were "a little bit confused with where the Labor party sat". Labor now says it will support a new stadium because of the jobs it will create.(Supplied: AFL) There was always a suspicion that Labor voted to have the stadium assessed so that if it fell over on planning and financial grounds, the Liberals would wear the political damage. To do so, Labor would have had to maintain its unclear position for years - possibly into another election. But all of that is in the past. New Labor leader Dean Winter has ushered in a new era of bipartisanship on a new stadium, for one main reason: "jobs". The timing of Mr Winter's announcement on Monday is far from a coincidence. And it has to do with the fact the stadium must pass both houses of parliament — most likely next year — before construction can start. The Liberals, who are governing in minority, can now rely on pro-stadium Labor for support in the parliament's lower house. The numbers in the upper house, however, have been uncertain. Three upper house elections took place on Saturday, and with counting continuing, they have confirmed Labor and the Liberals will either have a combined majority in the upper house as well, or be one seat off a majority. The future of the stadium will most likely, again, be in Labor's hands, and so stadium questions will keep on coming. But it could also be premature. Tasmania's Planning Commission is assessing the stadium on various planning grounds, including how it will fit on a fairly constrained site at Macquarie Point, the surrounding infrastructure needed, and the way in which a heritage shed is managed. The Macquarie Point Development Corporation could also be preparing updated cost estimates, having engaged a quantity surveyor. These answers should be known next year. The Tasmanian Planning Commission is assessing the stadium proposal, including how it will fit into Macquarie Point.(ABC News: Maren Preuss) If it's proven to be far above budget, or the site faces more challenges than currently known, would Labor still vote it through? Mr Winter said his party will hold the premier to his $375 million state spending cap, demand to see evidence of private investors, and keep the option open for 2.0 — at a time when Tasmania's budget is facing pressures from many sides, and public services continue to struggle. Could this announcement have waited until all the facts were known? Or was Labor that eager to get ahead of the narrative, in the week before parliament returns? At least one thing has remained the same for Labor before and after the election: being prepared to support Liberal policy. The parties have had a combined upper house majority for several years, and in that time have voted together on legislation for poker machine policy, political donation disclosures and mandatory minimum sentences. For the final two, Labor was morally opposed but voted them through anyway — one so that Tasmania could at least have some donation disclosures, the other to remove it as a political issue. Now comes the stadium. A sudden change in policy rarely happens easily, and when asked if Labor was "united" on it, Mr Winter wasn't particularly forthcoming. "I think everyone knows that the Tasmanian Labor party needs to stand for jobs, and that's why our caucus has supported this position," he said. Whether the electorate agrees is another matter, but for footy fans, it's a major hurdle overcome. State Labor's stadium policy change means a major hurdle has been overcome.(ABC News: Luke Bowden ) LoadingLoading... Posted 6 May 20246 May 2024Mon 6 May 2024 at 7:30pm, updated 6 May 20246 May 2024Mon 6 May 2024 at 11:50pmThe right timing for Labor, or premature?
Labor and Liberal agreements becoming more common