Dean Coleman says State Growth has invited his team to discuss Mac Point 2.0 proposal
Government and developers will conduct a post-mortem on why an alternative stadium got the boot. A stadium director holds hope for the future of 2.0 from the meeting though. Read why.
Tasmania
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The door may still be open for the developers behind an alternative stadium at Macquarie Point with a government department prepared to sit down and discuss the Mac Point 2.0 proposal.
Stadia Precinct Consortia managing director Dean Coleman told the Sunday Tasmanian that on Friday afternoon, the Department of State Growth had invited him to a meeting on his development.
The invitation comes just a week after a scathing report by economist Dr Nicholas Gruen found the government’s planned stadium would cost $1.1bn, was in the wrong site and showed the “hallmarks of mismanagement’.
Until now the government has firmly rejected the alternative 2.0 proposal.
Dr Gruen said Mac Point 2.0 should be considered “if it can be delivered for the payment claimed”.
Mr Coleman welcomed the meeting saying he was pleased he was finally “getting some traction”.
“Well, we’ve been pushing for it,” he said.
“We’re going to push a little bit harder with it. The momentum is really building.
“All we want is to be able to get out the message that we’re a really vibrant, cohesive and financially viable stadium, and then let people know all the really good things about what it can do.
“Our team has been very confident from day one, because we’ve got something that works and is financially sound and ticks all the boxes.
“By combining state-of-the-art facilities with carefully considered public spaces, we aim to create a home for the Devils and a destination that serves all Tasmanians – a place where people can gather, celebrate, and connect.
“Mac Point 2.0 is not just an investment in infrastructure. It is an investment in our future, one that will create jobs, boost tourism, and foster a sense of unity and pride for all Tasmanians.”
Mr Coleman said it was frustrating that there was a lack of understanding on the financial side of the stadium debate.
He said public private partnerships or PPPs had been successful with the Burnie Hospital being the first ever done in Australia.
Mr Coleman said the government’s stadium had a limited income stream.
“The roof maintenance alone on Mac 1 is going to be astronomical, so you’ve got a real problem with that coming up,” he said.
“What we’re really pressing for is an independent evaluation of (stadiums) 1 and 2, so that the people of Tasmania can see what they’ve said.
“We’d be very happy if they came back and said, ‘oh, well, we’re going to go with number one’.
“I’d be happy with that, because we would have been given a fair and equitable run, but at the moment, we haven’t been given that.”
The federal government has promised $240m for a stadium at Macquarie Point with the state government’s contribution capped at $375m.
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Originally published as Dean Coleman says State Growth has invited his team to discuss Mac Point 2.0 proposal
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