Address | Macquarie Point, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°52′51″S147°20′9″E / 42.88083°S 147.33583°E |
Owner | Tasmanian Government |
Operator | Tasmanian Government |
Type | Multi-purpose stadium |
Capacity | 23,000 |
Surface | Grass |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 2025 (scheduled) |
Opened | 2029 (scheduled) |
Construction cost | A$715 million |
Tenants | |
Tasmania Football Club (AFL) |
Macquarie Point Stadium is a proposed multi-purpose stadium in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, scheduled to begin construction in 2025 and open in 2029 as the home ground of the Tasmania Football Club. [1] [2]
Macquarie Point was an industrial site that ceased being used as freight transport hub in 2014 with the closure of the South railway line terminal and opening of the Brighton Transport Hub. [3] [4] It was identified as a future urban renewal site, with the establishment of the Macquarie Point Development Corporation, a statutory authority under the Tasmanian Government. It received $50m in initial funding from the Federal Government. [5] Various proposals, including a 2016 masterplan by acclaimed Australian architect John Wardle for the site were developed, primarily with a focus on retail, hospitality, public space and residential. While a stadium was not part of any of these plans, the slow pace of activity at the site [6] prompted third parties to publish unsolicited designs including a stadium. [7] In 2020, the Tasmanian Government agreed to purchase the Derwent Entertainment Centre from the Glenorchy City Council. [8] [9] Soon thereafter, they established a new statutory entity, Stadiums Tasmania, to be responsible for management of sporting venues across the state. [10]
In February 2022, the Tasmanian Government commissioned a report for a site selection process for a stadium in Hobart. It indicated that Regatta Point and Macquarie Point were the two preferred locations, with a stadium having a capacity of 25,000 with an operable roof and moveable banks of seating to configure the ground for different events. [11] The location at Macquarie Point was confirmed as the preferred location in September 2022. [12]
The final business case was released in December 2022, indicating the Tasmanian Government would contribute $375m of the total cost. [13]
On 29 April 2023, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Hobart to confirm that the Federal Government would contribute the final $240m required for the development: construction is expected to begin in 2025 with a 2029 completion date. [1] [2]
On 12 May 2023, members of parliament Lara Alexander and John Tucker resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as independents, in part due to their concerns over the proposed stadium project. This left the Liberal party in minority government, and also requiring seven seats to reach a majority at the next state election. [14]
Following the election, the Liberal Party was returned to government in minority status. The stadium was endorsed by the Labor opposition in May 2024, giving it majority support on the floor of parliament. [15]
New sporting events hosted at the stadium could include Australian Football League, Big Bash League, A-League, International cricket, International rugby and National Rugby League. [16]
Hobart is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly half of Tasmania's population, Hobart is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smallest by area after Darwin if territories are taken into account. Its skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre (4,170 ft) kunanyi / Mount Wellington, and its harbour forms the second-deepest natural port in the world, with much of the city's waterfront consisting of reclaimed land. The metropolitan area is often referred to as Greater Hobart, to differentiate it from the City of Hobart, one of the seven local government areas that cover the city. It has a mild maritime climate.
The history of Tasmania begins at the end of the Last Glacial Period when it is believed that the island was joined to the Australian mainland. Little is known of the human history of the island until the British colonisation of Tasmania in the 19th century.
The Wrest Point Hotel Casino is a casino in Tasmania. It was Australia's first legal casino, opening in the suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart, on 10 February 1973.
Michael Darrel Joseph Ferguson is an Australian politician who is currently the Deputy Premier of Tasmania since April 2022. He has been a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly in the Division of Bass since the 2010 state election. Ferguson was appointed to cabinet after his party's victory in the 2014 state election and has served continuously as Minister in a range of portfolios including Finance, Health, Infrastructure, Transport, State Growth and Science and Technology.
The Derwent Entertainment Centre (DEC), known commercially as MyState Bank Arena since 2021, is Tasmania's largest indoor arena, serving as Hobart's primary location for large indoor sporting events, functions and live entertainment. Commissioned by the Tasmanian Government and the Glenorchy City Council, the DEC served as the home arena for the Hobart Devils in the NBL from 1989 until 1996, when the team's licence was revoked. Subsequently, between 1997 and 1998, ownership was transferred entirely to the City of Glenorchy, where it became a financial burden and incurred significant maintenance expenses for Glenorchy taxpayers, while seeing limited use. As the largest enclosed multipurpose venue in Tasmania, the DEC has hosted many Australian and international musical acts, including Kylie Minogue, Bob Dylan, Carole King, The Corrs, James Brown, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, Blondie and The Beach Boys.
TheMercury is a daily newspaper, published in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, by Davies Brothers Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of News Corp. The weekend issues of the paper are called Mercury on Saturday and Sunday Tasmanian. The current editor of TheMercury is Craig Herbert.
Australian rules football has been played in Tasmania since the late 1860s. It draws the largest audience for any football code in the state. A 2018 study of internet traffic showed that 79% of Tasmanians are interested in Australian rules football, the highest rate in the country.
Jeremy Page Rockliff is an Australian politician. He has served as premier of Tasmania since 2022, as state leader of the Liberal Party. He previously served as deputy premier from 2014 to 2022.
The Hobart Bus Mall is the main urban bus interchange for Metro Tasmania in the Hobart central business district. Situated on Elizabeth Street, it serves daily commuters from suburbs, nearby cities, and towns including Clarence, Glenorchy, Richmond, Cambridge and Kingborough. The interchange spans Elizabeth Street between Macquarie and Collins streets, with additional bus stops at Franklin Square and one on Liverpool Street near the Elizabeth Street Mall's north end. The interchange is within 500 metres (1,600 ft) of connecting coach services on Murray Street, ferry services and airport bus services at Brooke Street Pier.
Ferries in Hobart are a form of public transport in the city of Hobart, Tasmania. Though for decades they had not provided a major alternative public transport service for commuters and tourists in Hobart across the Derwent River, a renewed ferry service began in 2021. This has resulted in a revival of ferry transport in Hobart, including long-term plans to expand the network.
The history of the Tasmanian AFL bid covers a series of proposals and bids between 1987 and 2023 for a Tasmanian-based Australian rules football team in the Australian Football League and AFL Women's premierships. Eight formal proposals for a new or relocated club to represent Tasmania were made over this time, the earliest coming in 1992, while informal proposals were raised as early as 1987, when the Victorian Football League commenced its expansion to become a national competition.
The Brighton Transport Hub is an intermodal transport hub in the northern Hobart suburb of Brighton operated by TasRail.
The Tasmania Football Club, nicknamed the Devils, is a professional Australian rules football club set to compete in the Australian Football League (AFL) from the 2028 season and the AFL Women's (AFLW) from an unspecified date. The club will be based in Tasmania, with matches to be played across the state. Both University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston and Blundstone Arena in Hobart will host games initially, with the southern matches moving to the future Macquarie Point Stadium upon its construction.
Jonathon Roy Duniam is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has served as a Senator for Tasmania since the 2016 federal election. He served as an assistant minister in the Morrison government from 2019 until May 2022, following the appointment of the Albanese ministry. Prior to entering parliament Duniam was a political staffer, including as deputy chief of staff to Tasmanian premier Will Hodgman.
The Tasmanian Liberal Party, officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division) and more simply as the Tasmanian Liberals, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in Tasmania. The party currently governs in Tasmania as the only Liberal government in Australia, either state or territory, or Federal level. The party is part of the federal Liberal Party of Australia, currently in opposition.
The 2021 Tasmanian state election was held on 1 May 2021 to elect all 25 members to the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
John Ewart Tucker is an Australian politician. He was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in a countback conducted on 12 March 2019 to fill a vacancy in the electorate of Lyons caused by the resignation of Rene Hidding. He was re-elected in his own right in 2021.
The 2024 Tasmanian state election was held on 23 March 2024 to elect all 35 members to the House of Assembly.
Dean Winter is a Tasmanian Labor politician currently serving as Tasmanian Opposition Leader and Leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party. He was elected as Mayor of Kingborough Council in 2018, and was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 2021 Tasmanian state election, as an MP for Franklin.
Lara Maria Alexander is an Australian politician. She has been a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for the division of Bass since 2022, serving as a member for the Liberal Party before moving to the crossbench as an independent in 2023.