PRESIDENT UPDATE
We are at a unique point in our great state, with the dream of a Tasmanian AFL team finally reached. This should be a time when all of Tasmania is celebrating the AFL finally acknowledging our existence and granting the competition’s 19th licence to us. But the AFL has made it abundantly clear – a state of the art stadium is a requirement of granting the licence for our team. For this reason, we need to be united in bringing the vision of the entire Macquarie Point Urban Renewal project to life. I understand that some will have concerns around a large project like this, but these opportunities are rare. Governments need to be able to balance between operating the state while also finding and creating opportunities for growth. And that means making big infrastructure projects like the redevelopment of Macquarie Point come to life. From a hospitality perspective, an urban renewal and entertainment project with a roofed stadium in the middle of the capital city is undoubtably a game changer. The references and comparisons to both Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) and Perth (Optus Stadium) are frequently mentioned. And with good reason. Talk to any of our South and West Australian friends and they couldn’t be more complimentary of the impact and opportunities their stadium developments bring. They have re-invigorated and transformed hospitality in both cities, with the vibrancy and buzz on match days for a wide range of sports and when major concerts or
events are held providing major economic injections.
A project like this provides another reason to visit Tasmania, and we know tourists will often stay for multiple nights and visit other parts of the state to experience everything we have to offer. When we look at what events like Dark Mofo do for hospitality during winter, we see a very large proportion of the tickets sold are to people from outside the state bringing a new injection of economic growth - imagine what additional events (and concerts) could be staged with a fully enclosed stadium at our disposal. One of the biggest prospects for the state will be the larger conference and exhibition opportunities which Tasmania would finally be able to compete for, because currently we don’t have the capacity to host larges scale events. A project like this will put Tasmania on the map for what is a huge market, not just in Australia but around the world. This is one part of the project I would like to see focused on to ensure we get the right outcome. This project is a once in a lifetime opportunity which, if done right, will provide countless jobs and stimulate the Tasmanian economy for many years. I just hope we can all have a sensible debate around certain aspects of concern without crushing the project and dream of countless Tasmanians that have been waiting for the opportunity to have their own AFL team. The Tassie Turbo chooks has a nice ring to it don’t you think?
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