Labor's election promises of $50 million for MONA and $25 million towards a Tasmanian AFL team look to have gone down like lead balloons in the state's north.
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The funding commitment towards MONA's planned luxury hotel north of Hobart was opposed by a thumping 77 per cent of respondents in Braddon, 68 per cent in Lyons and 62 per cent in Bass, Telereach polling for the Liberals found.
The promise was supported by just 14 per cent of respondents in Braddon and 18 per cent in each of Bass and Lyons.
The AFL funding promise was even more unpopular in Bass, with 72 per cent of respondents opposing it.
It was also marked down by 73 per cent of respondents in Braddon and 67 per cent in Lyons.
Just 15 per cent of respondents in Braddon supported it, 17 per cent in Bass and 19 per cent in Lyons.
The Liberals have argued it should be up to the AFL, rather than taxpayers, to fund a Tasmanian AFL team.
Labor Leader Bill Shorten, at Forth on March 23, said: " ... it is the sort of the great white whale, the Moby Dick issue of AFL is why can't Tasmania have a team?"
"So my government, if elected, would put (in) $25 million; it's got to be matched by the AFL.
"But we want the AFL to do it in conjunction with Tassie footy, and we want to make sure that that investment's occurring here, not elsewhere."
In Hobart on April 27, Mr Shorten said: "Tasmanian tourism, with the flagship which is MONA, is not only leading in Australia, it's leading throughout the world."
" ... what Labor wants to do is we want to back in the future of Tasmanian tourism, and we want to back in the investment which has been made by private investors in MONA."
The Liberals slammed both promises, suggesting there should be other priorities for federal funding, particularly in health.
"Our priorities are clear," Liberal Bass candidate Bridget Archer said.
"We want to invest an extra $25 million into northern health.
"Unfortunately, Labor wants to cut that and give it to the AFL for a team in Hobart."
Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck said: "We all love our footy and understand the value of MONA, but health is much more important."
"The Liberal team can't and won't support a $25 million handout from the taxpayer to one of Australia's richest sporting organisations.
"And while we recognise the importance of MONA to our tourism industry, we simply cannot countenance providing them with a $50 million gift."
The Telereach polling was done on April 29.
Respondents were asked:
- "Do you support taxpayers providing $50 million to MONA for their new luxury hotel?" and
- "Do you support taxpayers providing $25 million to help establish a Tasmanian football team in the AFL?"
The poll had 614 respondents in Lyons, 548 in Braddon and 520 in Bass.
