The Tasmanian government was told "from day one" it would only get an AFL team if a new stadium was built in the state, a parliamentary committee has been told.
The contentious $715 million stadium has been slated for Macquarie Point in Hobart, with the state government promising to foot half the bill.
The AFL has committed $15m to the project, while Tasmania is hoping the federal government will contribute $240m.
The state's parliamentary public accounts committee on Friday questioned when the AFL made a new stadium a condition for Tasmania to receive a team licence.
State growth department secretary Kim Evans said the AFL had been clear "from day one" that a new stadium was required if Tasmania wanted to be the league's 19th team.
Mr Evans could not provide a specific date for when that requirement was issued, saying there had been numerous conversations with league officials including chief executive Gillon McLachlan.
The league's 18 clubs needed to back the new team before the AFL could approve Tasmania's bid and new infrastructure was critical to securing that support, Mr Evans said.
The Tasmanian Greens have accused Premier Jeremy Rockliff of lying to secure tri-partisan support for Tasmania's AFL bid.
Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said the premier told the Greens and Labor in May 2022 a team was not conditional on a stadium.
"Government officials said the stadium was a condition of an AFL licence long before that time," she said on Friday in a statement.
"The premier has some serious explaining to do."
Labor, the Greens and a group of Tasmanian federal politicians have opposed the Macquarie Point stadium, saying the state deserved an AFL team without having to make taxpayers pay for a venue.
But the Tasmanian government claims the venue will stimulate the local economy and deliver hundreds of ongoing jobs.
