Crying poor no solution to Antarctic stoush

The Tasmanian Liberals have their cap in hand, held out to the Federal Government asking for more money for infrastructure projects. They’re conveniently ignoring the pot of gold that’s already been delivered.

Last week The Mercury reported TasPorts wants $515m from the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) and the Federal Government for upgrades to the Hobart wharf. It’s fourteen times what the AAD is currently paying, and allegedly didn’t come with any information to back up this massive figure.

These wharf upgrades were critical years ago. Now it’s breaking point. Tasmania is seriously at risk of losing our status as the Gateway to Antarctica if these upgrades don’t get underway quickly.

The economic contribution of the AAD to Tasmania is huge. It employs hundreds of people, brings academics and scientists to our state, and indirectly supports Tasmanian businesses and the wider community. We can’t lose this because of political grandstanding.

But that’s where we’re at. Negotiations between TasPorts and AAD are at an impasse. The Tasmanian Liberals are demanding the Federal Government shell out the cash. It seems they’ve forgotten the money that’s already been delivered for projects at Macquarie Point.

The Federal Government committed $240m to the Macquarie Point precinct. They’ve been pretty clear: that money can be spent on the precinct however the Tasmanian Liberals like. And it’s no secret that money is allocated to the proposed stadium.

So if the Tasmanian Liberals want to blow the $240m on the stadium, that’s fine. But it’s unfair for taxpayers to fork out several times over for projects that have already been given money. The Tasmanian Liberals signed a deal to deliver housing and wharf upgrades alongside a stadium at Mac Point. They’ve been given funding from the Federal Government to do that. They can’t keep going back to federal coffers for every project because they’re not able to manage their own budget.

The Tasmanian Liberals say they can build the stadium and still invest in core infrastructure. But this stoush is the first hurdle and they’re failing. If they can’t afford these developments without further Federal Government investment - which we already know isn’t coming for the general Mac Point precinct - then the $240m needs to go towards essential infrastructure like housing and wharf upgrades first.

Upgrades to Wharf 6 are critical and overdue. It’s a tall order to blame the Federal Government for not coming to the party when the Tasmanian Liberals are stashing the $240m earmarked for the entire Mac Point precinct down the couch for a rainy day - or for a stadium with a roof.

Originally published in The Mercury on 20th June 2024.