Macquarie Point stadium public hearings continue as Tasmanian government in caretaker mode

Public hearings into the proposed Macquarie Point stadium get under way in Hobart today, but the state government is tight-lipped about whether its team of high-priced mainland lawyers will again attempt to derail the legislated planning process.

New renders of the proposed Macquarie Point stadium, home of the Tasmanian Devils. Provided May 26, 2025.

Public hearings into the proposed Macquarie Point stadium are set to get under way in Hobart today, with the Tasmanian government remaining tight-lipped about whether its team of high-priced mainland lawyers will again attempt to derail the legislated planning process.

The Tasmanian Planning Commission hearings, scheduled to be held across a number of dates in June and July, are required under Project of State Significance approval procedures, which were initiated for the stadium by the Rockliff government in October 2023.

After the TPC panel which is overseeing the hearings used a recent formal gathering to reject a government bid to adjourn the POSS process until at least August, the government engaged lawyers from leading firm, MinterEllison, to make a secondary attempt to delay proceeding until after the current election campaign.

While that written bid was ultimately knocked back by Tasmanian Planning Commission’s stadium panel chairman, Paul Turner SC, MinterEllison’s application letter warned that the Tasmanian government may make another adjournment request during the public hearings period itself, “which would disadvantage all parties”.

“On behalf of our client, the Crown in the Right of Tasmania, we formally request that the scheduled hearing dates, 25-27 June, 30 June, 1-3 July and reserve days 7-9 July 2025, be adjourned,” MinsterEllison lawyers wrote.

“In our submission, should the adjournment be refused, our client would be deprived a reasonable opportunity to present its case, thus constituting procedural unfairness.

“We respectfully request that the hearing dates be adjourned to commence no earlier than 6 August 2025.”

Macquarie Point Stadium Model 5. Picture MPDC

But in declining the request, TPC executive commissioner John Ramsay said Mr Turner found that the state’s election caretaker conventions did not prevent the ordinary business of government from being transacted, and that public servants were not restricted from performing duties relating to pre-existing matters.

On Tuesday, the government declined to indicate whether its hired legal team would launch a fresh attempt to have the public hearings postponed until after the July 19 state election, or provide answers about the how much MinterEllison were charging Tasmanian taxpayers for its legal services.

A government spokesperson also defended the use of legal specialists for the infrastructure proposal, telling the Mercury that the planning and development of the stadium was a project of a scale “well beyond the business as usual resources of Crown Law”.

“Minter Ellison is representing the Tasmanian Government as part of its broader engagement to support the planning and development of the Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium,” the spokesperson said.

“It is standard procedure for proponents at complex planning hearings to have legal representation. It is expected that other parties in the hearings will also be represented.”

Originally published as Macquarie Point stadium public hearings continue as Tasmanian government in caretaker mode