A subsidiary of China’s largest state-owned construction firm is one of two finalists shortlisted to build Hobart’s $1.13 billion Macquarie Point stadium, the 23,000-seat arena set to carry the world’s largest timber roof. That is according to the Tasmanian government, which this week confirmed Constructure Joint Venture and BESIX Watpac had cleared the expression-of-interest phase for the preliminary tender.
Led by Italian infrastructure major Webuild, the Constructure Joint Venture includes China Construction Oceania, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation. BESIX Watpac, the Australian arm of Belgian group BESIX, rounds out the two-way race for a construction contract the government aims to award by the end of 2026.
Pressed on the Chinese state-owned bidder’s inclusion, Macquarie Point Development Corporation CEO Anne Beach said tier-one construction firms operating in Australia are generally internationally owned, pointing to the Webuild-led consortium as having the scale needed to deliver. “It gives us the benefit of a balance sheet, the capacity, the risk management and the expertise,” Beach said.
Tasmanian Business, Industry and Resources Minister Eric Abetz said his concern was not the composition of the bidders but whether Tasmania’s project could hold tier-one attention against Queensland’s accelerating Olympic pipeline. “It is concerning, however, that Tasmania’s stadium build might be overlooked as the best major construction players in the nation vie to be a part of the Brisbane Olympics project, which is progressing much faster than Macquarie Point,” Abetz said.
Federal funding for the precinct was formally cemented last month at $240 million, with MPDC confirming the venue would not open before 2031, a full three seasons after the Tasmania Devils enter the AFL and AFLW competitions in 2028.
At the centre of the tender is a 190-metre fixed dome framed in Tasmanian-sourced glulam and clad in translucent ETFE pillows, the largest timber roof on any stadium globally. The 265-page planning submission detailed how the dome was designed by Cox Architecture with German engineers Schlaich Bergermann Partners, with the roof component alone costing $160 million within the $1.13 billion total build.
Extending its Australian stadium footprint, BESIX Watpac has also been shortlisted as one of two final bidders for the Queensland government’s proposed Brisbane 2032 Olympic Stadium, whilst China Construction Oceania is currently engaged on Victoria’s North East Link motorway project.
Under the AFL funding agreement, a termination clause activates if the stadium is not delivered by the end of 2030, yet the venue is not scheduled to open until 2031, creating a deadline gap both shortlisted consortia will need to resolve. With a contract award targeted for late 2026, the winning bidder has under four years from shovels in the ground to opening night.
