It’s now official. The world’s largest oval‑shaped stadium with a timber roof will be built at Macquarie Point after the $1.13 billion project passed both houses of Tasmanian Parliament tonight.
It was the final vote the state government needed to approve the 23,000-seat arena, which was required under a signed agreement between the Tasmanian government and the AFL for the state to enter the competition. The final vote, at 11 pm tonight, saw the Upper House vote 9 to 5 in favour of the stadium, and comes after three divisive years in Tasmania.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff moved the proposed stadium from nearby Regatta Point to Macquarie Point, and the location was then written into the agreement with the AFL. It was declared a Project of State Significance, and laws were changed to ensure parliament had the final vote after two Liberal backbenchers quit the party to become independents.
The latest breakthrough came after Casey Hiscutt, along with Bec Thomas and Tania Rattray, joined them yesterday in supporting the stadium, giving the government eight of the 15 votes needed to proceed. “I will be supporting this order and the future of our state,” Hiscutt said. “My decision goes beyond the statements, beyond the reports, beyond the spreadsheets. It goes beyond the fear of the unknown and the unease of change.”
His declaration ensured the government’s order to build the stadium would pass, despite a damning recommendation from the Tasmanian Planning Commission that questioned its economic viability, visual impact on Hobart’s heritage waterfront, and overall value for money.
The AFL licence has been central to the debate.
Hiscutt, the final domino to fall in support of the project, rubbished suggestions that Tasmania should enter the league without a new stadium. “I hear a lot of people saying we have earned a team or we deserve a team — and those statements are true,” he said.
“However, the AFL is a business, and it does not work on words like ‘earned’ or ‘deserved’; it works on words like ‘long‑term sustainability’ and ‘profitability’. It has been determined that the deal struck between the AFL and the Premier satisfies their needs in this regard. But to use emotion to dictate that this will be renegotiated is farcical at best and duplicity at worst.”
Bec Thomas pointed to a series of safeguards she secured from the Premier. Chief among them was an $875 million cap on state government expenditure, requiring any cost overruns to be covered by the Commonwealth, the AFL, or private investors…and if funding is not forthcoming, the scope will be reduced.
Thomas also received a $105 million cap on the AFL high‑performance centre at Kingston, a requirement for a lifecycle asset management plan within six months of appointing the main contractor, and new oversight measures that shift responsibility for changes away from a single bureaucrat to a parliamentary committee: “I think that is as binding as we can get,” Thomas said, adding that accountability will be monitored through the project’s oversight committee and parliament.
The new venue is expected to host 300 events every year
Economic modelling cited by the government forecasts between 1,510 and 3,229 jobs during construction and up to 276 ongoing operational roles. The venue is expected to host more than 300 events annually, deliver an average operating surplus of $2 million, and attract 104,000 interstate and overseas visitors each year, alongside 184,000 Tasmanians. The Office of the Coordinator‑General estimates demand for an additional 254 hotel rooms to support visitor growth.
Costs have risen sharply from an original estimate of $715 million to $1.13 billion, a rise the government attributes to design refinements, construction delays, and the addition of a client contingency fund. Additional infrastructure requirements include a $75.9 million northern access road and an optional 374‑space car park estimated at $97 million. The federal government has committed $240 million to the broader Macquarie Point precinct, while the AFL has pledged $15 million to the stadium and $360 million to Tasmanian football broadly.
Wood Central understands that current design documents detail a hybrid timber roof lined with Tasmanian‑sourced glulam, paired with metal deck cladding, steel rod bracing, and translucent ETFE pillows. The clearspan structure has an internal clearance of 49 metres, allowing Test‑level cricket as well as AFL, soccer, and rugby. The Macquarie Point Summary Report specifies lightweight ETFE pillows, a 20‑millimetre timber laminate, a secondary glulam system, and Aramax metal deck cladding, all supported by steel rod bracing to ensure structural integrity. The timber form is intended to reduce perceived bulk from street level and preserve harbour sightlines.
