Mr BAYLEY question to TREASURER, Mr FERGUSON
In what looks like a well-coordinated media drop as part of the pro-stadium PR, a report that, in the words of the media who got the drop, 'was created to challenge the criticisms of the new stadium as a dud deal', was authored by a self-proclaimed stadium advocate and unsurprisingly paints a glowing economic picture of the Macquarie Point stadium. The report uses a methodology from the discredited PricewaterhouseCoopers that would not be accepted by the Commonwealth for the allocation of grant funding. This report is wildly different from your Government's cost-benefit analysis that was used to secure grant funding. Do you still stand by your report and will you therefore reject this radically different, optimistic and speculative report?
Dr Woodruff - A desperate attempt to get some good media for a change.
Mr SPEAKER - Order; the Treasurer has the call.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I relish the question from the member. It is always ironic when Greens members criticise other people for being self-proclaimed experts, which is exactly what has just happened.
Dr Woodruff - We've got two reports, two business cases now. Which one are you going to back?
Mr SPEAKER - Leader of the Greens, order.
Mr FERGUSON - It does not serve this House well for Mr Bayley to be attacking a member of the public in that way. This report has not been commissioned by the Government. It is an independent person's own views and analysis of the stadium. I welcome that and so should you, Mr Bayley and other members of this House, including the blockers over there.
Dr Woodruff - Have you asked Treasury to give their advice about it?
Mr FERGUSON - They have been confronted with advice they are not comfortable with, which is that the stadium will be a massive boon for our economy and set up infrastructure for entertainment, arts and sport, which is a necessary precondition for the many decades-long dream of having a Tasmanian AFL and AFLW team here in Tasmania, but it is inconvenient reading for Dr Broad, who again was in the press this morning unhappy, very grumpy, about just another commentator adding their own independent voice to the merits of this important infrastructure.
We know that the Greens are well-practised, with over 40 years of opposing anything good for our state. They opposed our dams, which are now the lifeline for the transition to a clean carbon-reduction economy.
Dr Woodruff - Tamar Valley Power Station did not happen.
Mr SPEAKER - Order.
Mr FERGUSON - They opposed those dams. You would think the Greens would support a wind farm, but I cannot think of a windfarm in this country, certainly in this state -
Dr Woodruff - Cattle Hill, Granville Harbour - we support them.
Mr FERGUSON - Oh, you supported that one. Thank you, Dr Woodruff, for that support for that one windfarm. We saw you coming. We know the Greens are dead against a stadium and an arts, entertainment and sporting precinct, which is a game-changer.
I respect, and the Government respects, there are different views on this but it is a very good outcome for the state to get that infrastructure and a necessary precondition for the team, which the Leader of the Opposition claims that she would like to see occur and be developed for our state. You cannot have it both ways, as the Leader of the Opposition constantly tries to do. Two-timing Tasmanians - yes, I support you over here, and by the way, I support you other people over here as well. Trying to play both sides of this issue is hypocritical and frankly intellectually dishonest. You cannot have it both ways. This is what this 'maladministration' Tasmanian Labor Party are up to in the Tasmanian community. It will only take time, I guess, for the Leader of the Opposition to also attack Mr Hanson. It is only a matter of time because it is inconvenient reading for the Labor Party.
Ms White interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER - Leader of the Opposition, order.
Mr FERGUSON - You cannot go around telling Tasmanians that you support a Tasmanian AFL and AFLW team for Tasmania -
Ms White - We certainly can and we will.
Mr SPEAKER - Order.
Mr FERGUSON - when you are trying to block the very precondition that enables it to be delivered. You can make all the little petty interjections that you like but you will not address the central point and that is that you are trying to two-time Tasmanians with your intellectually dishonest rhetoric, but you are going to do everything possible to stop the stadium - 'Oh, but we support an AFL team for Tasmania'.
To Mr Bayley's question, I think that report stands on its own. It was supported by Mr Eslake and if you would care to attack him as well, knock yourself out, but we welcome the involvement of Mr Hanson. We stand by our own report and we welcome other's opinions.