Gutwein issues cheeky gibe at federal Libs amid stadium row

FORMER premier Peter Gutwein has urged his successor, Jeremy Rockliff, to ignore the objections of their federal Liberal counterparts to the proposed Hobart stadium, saying “they haven’t got much right at all in recent years”.

Mr Gutwein, who has been increasingly active on Twitter since his April resignation, took to the social media website on Saturday to issue the cheeky gibe. It came after a survey commissioned by Labor revealed that an overwhelming majority of Tasmanians opposed the prospective construction of a $750m waterfront stadium at Macquarie Point, now considered a prerequisite for a Tasmanian AFL team.

The telephone polling of 2541 people conducted in early October found 67.3 per cent of respondents were against the plan, with 52 per cent of those asked saying they were strongly opposed. But Mr Gutwein backed the Premier’s commitment to the project.

“I’m with you [Mr Rockliff] … the team and the stadium will grow the economy and provide more $ for essential services … and don’t listen to the federal libs … they haven’t got much right at all in recent years!!!” Mr Gutwein wrote.

Together with state Labor and the Greens, Tasmanian federal Liberal MPs Bridget Archer, Gavin Pearce, Wendy Askew, Claire Chandler, and Jonathon Duniam have all voiced their opposition to the stadium. In response to the survey findings, Mr Rockliff said the project was “a significant economic, jobs and social infrastructure opportunity that I know has been controversial in other states”.

“Once the buildings and construction and the developments come to fruition, of course people then come on board,” he said last week.