Nic Street says Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White needs to be clear on AFL team, stadium stance

Labor Leader Rebecca White continues to come under fire over her stance on the Mac Point stadium, with demands she be clear about her intention to “kill our AFL dream” should Labor return to power. LATEST >

Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White at the Gagebrook Community Centre.

Labor Leader Rebecca White continues to come under fire over her stance on the Mac Point stadium, with her opponents demanding she be clear about her intention to “kill our AFL dream” should Labor return to power.

Minister for Sport and Recreation Nic Street said “Yesterday, Ms White said very clearly that if she was Premier, she will cancel the stadium, which will kill the AFL side”.

“Now today on radio, she’s trying to backtrack and again walk both sides of the street – still claiming the team can be delivered without a stadium.

Nic Street.

“You cannot have a Tasmanian AFL team without a new stadium — it’s as simple as that.”

Mr Street said the team “must be viable”.

“ … so it’s either build a stadium with all the flow-on benefits from it including a Tasmanian AFL side, or kill the stadium and kill the team,” Mr Street said.

“The Premier has said this. The AFL have said this. And everyone knows it, including Ms White.

“For her to claim otherwise is either delusional or deceptive.

“Ms White needs to stop being deceptive, and just admit she will kill our AFL dream, once and for all.”

Tassie ‘should ready itself for an early election’

Labor Leader Rebecca White has continued to walk a fine line on the stadium, refusing to answer whether her stance would change, should the major infrastructure project be Tasmania’s only ticket to a team – meanwhile she’s predicting the state could head to the polls before the year is out.

State Labor has consistently campaigned against the stadium, while simultaneously agreeing Tasmania should have a team, the licence for which was granted two weeks ago after federal funding was pledged for Macquarie Point.

The party, along with the Greens, have been calling on the Premier to disclose the deal made with the AFL to ensure the licence is in fact linked to the stadium.

There’s pressure on Rebecca White to clarify if she would scrap the stadium, potentially dashing hopes for a team with it, if Labor wins the next election.

On Tuesday Ms White said she believed there could be an election as early as this year, after the sudden defection of MPs Lara Alexander and John Tucker.

“I think the resignation of two Liberal members on Friday indicates the government doesn’t even have the confidence of its own party room,” Ms White said.

“I think the Tasmanian community should ready itself for an early election.”

Premier Jeremy Rockliff maintains it will be held in 2025.

Labor leader Rebecca White in Launceston. Picture: Patrick Gee

Regardless of when it is held, should Labor win the next election it could have the power to scrap the stadium.

On ABC radio on Tuesday, Ms White gave her strongest indication yet of the party’s position, saying it would do “everything we could” when asked if an elected Labor government would “bin” the stadium.

But whether that extends to a stadium, penned in the deal as the price for a team, is still unclear.

Earlier this week Mr Rockliff confirmed there was no break clause in the deal, meaning there would be no cost to the state if another administration canned the stadium.

On Tuesday he said Ms White was trying to walk both sides.

“You cannot have a Tasmanian AFL team without a new stadium – it’s as simple as that,” Mr Rockliff said.

“The AFL have been clear that we need the stadium to ensure our Tasmanian AFL team is viable for the long term.”

Premier: Labor to ‘kill’ stadium, team

The Premier says comments made by Labor Leader Rebecca White on morning radio is confirmation she would “kill” the Tasmanian AFL team.

On ABC radio, Ms White was asked if Labor would “bin” the stadium if elected.

Her reply: “We will do everything we could to do that”.

Labor has been calling on the state government to disclose the full deal its made with the AFL on the stadium, to ensure the Tasmanian AFL license is in fact linked with the stadium.

On Monday Ms White said her party wanted to see the deal to see whether someone was “bluffing”

The Greens intend to move a motion to “knock the stadium off” when parliament returns, but Labor says it will not back it.

In the same radio interview, Ms White said there would be an election before the end of the year.

‘Wishy-washy’: Labor accused of fence sitting on stadium

As Labor Leader Rebecca White faces criticism for “fence sitting” on the stadium, another Labor MP has insisted the party is still against the build, but has stopped short of supporting a Greens push to topple the bid in parliament.

Ms White’s absence from Saturday’s Stop the Stadium Rally was noticed, sparking questions about her opposition to the project.

“Rebecca White is hiding from the media, she’s wishy-washy and on the fence on the stadium,” Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson said on Sunday.

“[She] promotes herself as being against the stadium but wasn’t able to turn up to a large rally against the stadium because she’s on the fence, she doesn’t know what to do.”

On Sunday Labor MP Dean Winter said the party’s position hadn’t changed.

“Labor does not support this stadium, we haven’t supported it from right from the start, we continue to not support building this stadium,” Mr Winter said.

Labor's Dean Winter speaks to the media on Parliament Lawns in Hobart on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor intends to move a motion to “knock the stadium off” when parliament resumes on May 23.

When asked if Labor would support it, Mr Winter indicated the party would not.

“The Greens will be reckless … they will try stunts, Labor won’t support stunts,” Mr Winter said.

Ms O’Connor said parliament needed to work together and negotiate.

“Moving to allow parliament to express the will of the people on the stadium is not a stunt, nor is seeking to amend the budget to remove stadium funding,” Ms O’Connor said.

“State Labor should know it’s the stadium that’s reckless here, not us.

“Given the secrecy over the contract with the AFL, we can be sure it’s worse than what we already know.”

Meanwhile Mr Winter hoped a larger crossbench would make it easier to get motions on the floor of parliament across the line, after the sudden defection of Lara Alexander and John Tucker from the Liberal Party on Friday.

“For example last Wednesday we moved a motion the government would table the documents associated with the AFL deal,” Mr Winter said.

“That was knocked off by the government using its numbers and that included Lara Alexander and John Tucker who voted against disclosing this deal.

“We haven’t been able to get the level of transparency we’ve wanted, with an increased crossbench that means we can hopefully get the answers Tasmanians want.”

Labor coy on stadium plans as Greens prepare test

Labor leader Rebecca White is remaining coy on whether the party would scrap plans for the Macquarie Point stadium if it wins government, as the Greens prepare to test the Opposition’s stance against the project when parliament resumes.

Ms White said she wanted to see the fine print in the “deals” Premier Jeremy Rockliff had signed with the federal government and the AFL before she made a final call on the stadium, which she has labelled as the “wrong priority” for Tasmania.

On Saturday, a Stop the Stadium Rally on parliament lawns was dominated by discussion of the chaos currently engulfing the Rockliff government after two of its backbenchers, Lara Alexander and John Tucker, quit to sit on the crossbench on Friday, plunging the government into a minority.

Labor leader Rebecca White in Launceston. Picture: Patrick Gee

“Jeremy Rockliff has already lost two MPs and his government’s majority because of his refusal to be honest about the true cost of his stadium,” Ms White told the Sunday Tasmanian.

“He needs to release the details of the deals he has signed Tasmanian taxpayers up to.”

Addressing the crowd at the rally, Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said she would be moving a motion to “knock the stadium off” when parliament resumed on May 23, which she said would test not only the government’s hold on power but also Labor’s “convictions”.

“Rebecca White cannot continue to sit on the fence on this issue. She doesn’t need to see the contract, which so far, Jeremy Rockliff has refused to release, to know that this is a truly terrible deal for the people of Tasmania,” Ms O’Connor said.

“Our future depends on state Labor having the courage of its convictions.

Cassy O'Connor Greens leader. Stop the Stadium rally on parliament lawns Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“Rebecca White needs to make it clear she will vote against the stadium in the parliament and if she is in government Labor will not honour the contract. That would be the end of it.”

Labor has challenged Mr Rockliff to recall parliament this week to face a motion of no confidence, amid growing calls for an early election.

Government minister Felix Ellis said the Liberals were “disappointed that [Mrs Alexander and Mr Tucker] have made the decision that they have” but added that “ultimately, our focus … needs to be on the Tasmanian community”.

“We’re getting on with the job,” he said. “Tasmanians expect us to continue to serve the community, keep them safe, make sure that … we’ve got adequate funding for health and housing and public safety.”

Mr Ellis said there were “always views for and against when it comes to major projects” such as the stadium but the government was “really committed to continuing to consult with our community and to deliver important, state-building projects such as this, so that we can take Tasmania forward”.

Originally published as Nic Street says Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White needs to be clear on AFL team, stadium stance