Kevin Foley: Build Macquarie Point Stadium and they’ll come

A key player behind the Adelaide Oval redevelopment — who has strong Tassie ties — believes a new AFL stadium would be the best decision the Apple Isle could make, despite a major planning rejection.

Kevin Foley on proposed Mac Point Stadium following planning report

The treasurer who greenlit the Adelaide Oval redevelopment that transformed South Australian capital has urged Tasmania’s government to ignore a contentious planning commission report that would derail the league’s 19th team.

The Tasmanian Planning Commission on Wednesday advised that the government should not proceed with a $945 million roofed stadium at Macquarie Point.

In 2009, long-running SA treasurer Kevin Foley and AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou secretly plotted to move football from AAMI Stadium to a new Adelaide Oval precinct in a decision that has helped turbocharge the state economy.

Foley, Demetriou and SACA president Ian McLachlan orchestrated the deal for Adelaide Oval despite fierce objection from the SANFL and many in the Mike Rann state government.

When treasurer Foley presented the details of the plan to Rann, his premier accused him of “rat-f***ing” the government given the secret nature of his negotiations but was eventually convinced of the merits of a project that was delivered on a $535 million budget.

Foley told this masthead on Wednesday creating a new stadium in Hobart would be the best decision the state had ever made.

Kevin Foley at Adelaide Oval. Picture Dean Martin

“How in the hell does a planning body have the ability to talk about financial and economic matters,” Foley told the Herald Sun.

“My mother was born in Tasmanian so I am half-Tasmanian and I am out of politics so I suppose it is for me to be able to have an opinion now.

“It is a hell of a lot of money for a stadium and it rewards a sector that isn’t without its own wealth but if Tasmania wants to have a serious economy there is nothing better than a magnet like a world-class stadium.

“I would be damned if any government I was in would allow an unelected appointed entity to stray out of its lane. Its lane is to tick boxes, not lecture governments and state populations. “Ultimately all the premier can do is pass a law and ram the damned thing through parliament and get it built. Do it before the next election. Build it and they will come.

“It will be Tasmania’s field of dreams just like Adelaide Oval is when there are 55,000 fans at games.

“Andrew Demetriou and myself and (former premier) John Olsen in honesty never predicted the explosion of activity in the centre of Adelaide created by Adelaide Oval. It was way beyond what we considered in Adelaide.

“That can happen in Hobart. It will no longer be the laughing stock of the nation. It will be a centre of attraction.”

The Devils on Wednesday refused to comment on the day’s developments but the AFL was unwavering in its support for the stadium.

Grant O'Brien chair with Kath McCann executive director. Tasmania Football Club declined to comment on the planning commission report on Wednesday. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

An AFL spokesman said: “A clear component of the licence bid from the Tasmanian taskforce was a new roofed stadium at Macquarie Point with a capacity of at least 23,000. The AFL’s continued position is that this is a condition for the grant of the 19th licence.

“The Tasmania Devils continue to make great progress led by chairman Grant O’Brien, CEO Brendon Gale, the board and inaugural team member Kath McCann.

“More than 210,000 members have signed up and pledged their support, signifying great momentum and backing for the club. The recent introduction into the VFL and VFLW competitions is another milestone in the club’s short history.”

Foley said it was up to the Rockliff government to march ahead with the stadium build even if it did eventually result in a cost blowout.

“I have absolutely no doubts about it whatsoever. Tasmanians face the same issues that hold us back. People don’t want their kids to go to Melbourne and they don’t want industry to go to Victoria. The government is there to provide a variety of assets for the community. So hospitals and police are more important than an oval. But a government can provide a mix of things.

“I get the view that governments shouldn’t splash millions on sporting entities that are already highly profitable. But to build more hospitals and roads and hire more police the state government has to make money and has to have economic activity and that is by people spending money to grow the economy.

“To me it is a no-brainer. In Adelaide no one shared the view we had. The dear, late SANFL boss Max Basheer and Crows actively worked behind the scenes to undermine the project. No one wanted it. I had phone calls from senior people at the AFL begging me to push it away. One the project happened everyone was on the bandwagon.

“They said they supported it all the way through. This nonsense from the planning commission that they are worried about amenity and outlook _ from what I gather than land is barren and underutilised. If you have been to Gather Round you can see the momentum the state has built. People used to take the p*** out of Adelaide. It is getting a bit harder to do it now.”

Originally published as Kevin Foley: Build Macquarie Point Stadium and they’ll come