Tasmanian AFL stadium deal faces backlash: Most voters support renegotiation

Both major parties are out of step with state voters in their unwavering support to build a $945 million stadium in a deal for an AFL team, a pre-election poll suggests.

With a snap election weeks away, Tasmanian voters were surveyed on their attitude to the deal struck with the AFL to build a roofed stadium at Macquarie Point.

The Hobart stadium is a condition of the licence for the Devils’ inclusion in the competition in 2028.

The online poll of 842 voters, conducted by YouGov on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute from June 12 to 16, indicates most Tasmanians believe the stadium deal is unfair.

More than two out of three (69 per cent) support Tasmanian parliament renegotiating with the AFL to avoid constructing a new stadium.

Support to renegotiate was strongest among independent (81 per cent) and Greens voters (78 per cent).

The idea was only mildly less popular with Labor supporters (71 per cent).

Liberal voters were the most likely to disagree with the proposition (38 per cent) but a majority (56 per cent) still wanted parliamentarians to return to the negotiating table.

More than two in three also believe the AFL is treating Tasmania unfairly in its requirements for granting Tasmania a license to join the national competition.

Perhaps surprisingly, more men (72 per cent) than women (65 per cent) agreed with the statement.

Over 65s were particularly scathing, with four out of five miffed with the AFL’s treatment.

Some analysts have described the Tasmanian election as a referendum on the stadium, but both Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winter have been unwilling to budge on their support.

The AFL has been staunch in its refusal to renegotiate the deal, declaring the stadium remains a non-negotiable for the Devils’ licence.

The Australia Institute’s strategy director Leanne Minshull described the stadium deal as a “dud” and one of the most one-sided in Australian sport.

She said residents of the Apple Isle were rightly appalled by the AFL’s treatment, which effectively amounted to putting a “gun to the head of Tasmanians”.

“Whoever wins the state election on July 19 must stand up to the AFL and stand up for Tasmanians,” she said.

“This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don’t want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don’t want.”

Final approval of the stadium is expected to come down to a vote of parliament.