- In short: Thousands of people opposed to an AFL stadium being built at Macquarie Point on Hobart's waterfront have turned out at a rally at parliament lawns
- What's next? All eyes will be on the return of parliament in 10 days' time after two backbenchers quit the Liberal Party over the stadium issue
A day after the Tasmanian government was thrown into minority, Hobart's parliament lawns have been flooded with protesters rallying against the government's proposal to build a $715 million stadium at Macquarie Point.
The stadium, which was contingent on the AFL granting Tasmania a long-awaited licence, has divided the community since it was proposed last year.
Tasmanian Labor and the Greens have been against it from the get go, claiming the government is wasting money it should be spending on health and housing.
But the stadium deal was sealed when the federal government announced late last month that it would chip in the missing $240 million, although it said it was for the redevelopment of the entire Macquarie Point precinct.
Days after that announcement, the AFL granted Tasmania the 19th licence, with hopes a team could hit the ground by 2028.
But a moment that many were treating as a celebration has caused political turmoil.
On Friday, two conservative state Liberal backbenchers, John Tucker and Lara Alexander, quit the party to sit on the crossbenches, citing a lack of transparency over the deal and sending the once majority Liberal government into minority.
Greens leader Cassy O'Connor told the "Stop the Stadium" rally the AFL deal had brought the government to its knees and it was now "living with the consequences of Jeremy Rockliff's own actions".
"His deafness to the mood of Tasmanians, his craven capitulation to Gil McLachlan and the AFL have brought a majority government to its knees," she told the crowd.
"With the ink barely dry on that contract they signed in secret we now have a minority government."
She said a moment that should have united Tasmanians had instead left "a bitter taste of the tongues of many".
"What a price we have been asked to pay to realise our long-held dream?"
"A stadium that would cost at least a billion dollars, a debt we'd be saddled with for generations while people sleep in tents and die waiting for ambulances."
Ms O'Connor said having a "balance of power" parliament meant a whole new world of possibilities.
"When parliament returns on the 23rd of May the Greens will move to knock the stadium off and we'll also move to defund any stadium funding in the upcoming state budget," said Ms O'Connor.
'Stick it up your bum'
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie told the crowd that during the rural show Agfest last weekend the only thing people wanted to talk about was "this bloody stadium".
"We love our football down here we love it with everything we've got … but we've got two great stadiums that are having money spent on them already," she said.
Ms Lambie said Tasmania simply could not build a new stadium.
"Tasmanians have had a bloody gutful over your stadium and you can stick it up your bum," she yelled to cheers from the crowd.
"We do not need another one when I have people waiting at A and E (accident and emergency) for hours on end.
"I have girlfriends staying at my house because they have no bloody roof over their heads. That's where we're at in Tasmania right now."
Government stands by decision: Ellis
On the government's first full day in minority, cabinet minister Felix Ellis stuck to the premier's message that the government would "get on with the job".
"We'll continue to work closely with colleagues right across the parliament, including the two new independents, that's going to be important because it's what the Tasmanian people expect of us," he said.
"The makeup of our parliament has changed, but the key priorities for Tasmanians remain the same."
The government's stance on the stadium also remained unchanged.
"In Tasmania, there's always views for and against when it comes to major projects, that's the nature of a small state, but we're really committed to continuing to consult with our community and to deliver important state-building projects such as this," Mr Ellis said.
"We're a proud state, we're a footballing state, and we need to deliver on this so Tasmania can take its rightful place."
'Rotten, stinking deal'
Richard Flanagan told the crowd the AFL deal which Premier Jeremy Rockliff asserted would unify the state had done so, but not in the intended way.
"North to south, east to west Tasmanians are against this rotten, stinking deal," he said.
"We are united across politics, across regions, across class — all against this stadium."
Messages read out
Several messages were read out at the rally by actor Essie Davis, including from outspoken Federal Liberal MP Bridget Archer.
"Our [northern] region is doing it tough in the current environment and many in the community rightly believe that instead of hundreds of millions more being to fund a stadium in Hobart, federal support is needed for essential services," she said.
"I have heard a lot of noise from Federal Labor that funding the stadium is not an either-or-situation. Well, I'm not seeing much of the 'or'."
No Labor politicians spoke at the event, although Ms Davis also read out a statement on behalf of leader Rebecca White.
"It [the stadium] is completely the wrong priority and Tasmanian Labor will continue to stand up for our state and to stand against the stadium."
