City of Launceston mayoral candidates have said an equal share of AFL games need to be played between Hobart and Launceston if the state was to get its own team licence.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Concerns were expressed over the weekend that if a new $750 million stadium was to be built near the Hobart CBD, games would be siphoned out of Launceston to the new venue.
City of Launceston deputy mayor, and mayoral candidate, Danny Gibson the government's business case for a Tasmanian AFL team prioritised the redevelopment of UTAS Stadium.
He said as acting-mayor, he wrote to the Premier and met with him to discuss a memorandum of understanding on an equal share of hallmark games with high-profile teams.
"It is my understanding that this work is progressing," he said.
"We refuse to be left behind. We want more content and not less. We want to grow the economic return that comes from us hosting these high-profile teams."
READ MORE : 'Reckless': parties clash over AFL Stadium plan
City of Launceston councillor, and mayoral candidate, Alan Harris said he didn't support the government's stadium proposal, but supported a Tasmanian AFL team.
He said the promised $65 million upgrade to UTAS Stadium would increase seated capacity and Launceston would benefit from hosting bigger Victorian clubs.
"Clearly once the new stadium is built at Macquarie Point, Launceston stands to lose some of these big games to the new stadium," Cr Harris said.
"As for the new stadium, I'm not convinced it's needed right now but it's clearly being used as a bargaining chip for the new Tassie team deal to get done by the AFL.
"Once we get our Tassie team up and running, then we will be in a much better position to determine if a new stadium is needed and if it will be financially viable."
Mayoral candidate George Razay said the plans could not be justified while there were growing housing, health, environmental and economic pressures in Tasmania.
"How can we afford $750 million for a stadium when we can not even look after our homeless people?" he said.
"In addition, this will have a major negative impact economically on the North."
Dr Razay said there needed to be an equal share of games between the North and South should a Tasmanian AFL team licence be granted.
"This way all Tasmanians will be in support of the AFL team, which will be a true representative of all Tasmanians," he said.
City of Launceston councillor, and mayoral candidate, Tim Walker said he voted against a $200 million plan for York Park in 2020 because health, housing and education needed to be prioritised.
He said a more modest spend on UTAS Stadium and Bellerive would see seating of up to 30,000 without the extravagant stadium.
"It has always been my concern that Launceston will be the loser if any changes are required from the current plan," Cr Walker said.
"Hobart will be the base for a Tasmanian team, they'll have the retractable roof and potentially less people will travel to Launceston, resulting in smaller crowds.
"I could easily see Launceston being relegated to a few games a year and I'm concerned that no guarantees are in place prior to deals being struck with either the AFL or before the state government takeover of York Park."
City of Launceston mayoral candidate Bob Salt said he supported the $200 million upgrade to UTAS Stadium over a new stadium in Hobart.
He said increased seating capacity and retractable seating would make the ground suitable for soccer and rugby.
Mr Salt said an adjoining indoor facility could host netball and basketball games.
"If a new stadium is built in Hobart for AFL, how long would it be before they tell us all games are to be played in Hobart?" he said.
"What will this do to our winter economy?"
Devonport councillor and mayoral candidate, Leigh Murphy, said while the matter was outside Devonport's jurisdiction, he personally supported the government's stadium proposal.
"Bring it on, the state must continue to move forward," he said.
"There are many views on this topic, but I believe the Premier summed it up best - we can't let parochialism kill the state or our regions."
Devonport deputy mayor, and mayoral candidate, Alison Jarman said a new stadium for Hobart would be a wonderful thing for Tasmania, but now was not the time for it to be developed.
"I just think it's a little bit too much for the current average Joe that sits there worrying about putting bread on the table," she said.
Burnie mayoral candidate Ken Dorsey said Burnie was in dire need of sporting facility upgrades and the money invested in the stadium would be better spent on investment in local sport.
He said Burnie should also be considered as a location for any new AFL stadium.
"The state should stop concentrating on the 'big' cities and invest in regional towns," Cr Dorsey said
"This would be a win for the entire North-West Coast bring prosperity and interest to the North-West Coast.
"It would generate a building boom in hotels, tourism and with retailers."
Why not have your say? Write a letter to the editor here:
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
Follow us on Google News: The Examiner
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
