AFL must give more cash for team

GIVEN the massive financial support gifted to the two most recent inclusions into the AFL namely Greater Western Sydney and the Gold Coast Suns Tasmania’s quest for the 19th licence surely must receive a far greater monetary contribution from a well and truly cashed up AFL outfit than the paltry $15m currently on the table. As I have said in previous letters to the Mercury newspaper if Tasmania fielded a team in the NRL then we would have been granted the 19th licence well and truly by now and would not be seeking both state and federal funding for the proposed Macquarie Point stadium to see the light of day “Stadium big sell” (Mercury December 24). I firmly believe the AFL should be the major financial contributor in ensuring Tasmania’s dream of entering the national competition becomes a reality and thus lessen the monetary burden on the government.

And just for the records I totally agree with all the economic benefits to Tasmania’s economy a multipurpose stadium would provide on the proviso the AFL comes to the party and show us the colour of their money with a much more generous cash injection. Chris Davey

Lindisfarne

Tunnel vision

I HAVE a ratbag radical theory about the enthusiasm for the stadium proposed for the Hobart waterfront. The “wasteland” description attributed to Michael Ferguson is a clue. If proponents honestly wanted a stadium, then upgrading one or more of the stadiums we have would deliver a much better solution for much less money.

Proponents are trying to solve two problems with one solution. The other problem is, “What do we do with Macquarie Point?” If we don’t build a stadium on it, we’ll be tempted to build

something attractive, but something attractive might not make heaps of money. By building a stadium, we clog up the site with an ugly monstrosity and remove the temptation to use it for something attractive. We’ll generate huge traffic problems too, and to solve those, we’ll need to build some of those tunnels Bob Cotgrove wants us to build.

Keith Anderson

Kingston

Tax is the key

INTERESTING read of people’s vision to growing a better Tasmania with a no go for stadium. Do people understand that public servants are paid through government taxes so let’s spend $300m. Problem not solved, there is next year and next year that money will need to be stockpiled to keep up with inflation but we don’t get an investment on that money so let’s invest in our great

state build a stadium. While this is being built everything that is going into the project is tax and on completion is tax from stadium to accommodation and beer at the pub has that magic word tax.

Keep banging on under-resourced at the Royal. They do outstanding care to the public and the two things that will fix the Royal is Covid and clinics that are the first base contact prior to the clinic making the call if the patient requires hospital.

John George

Glenorchy

Keep moving forward

TIME-OUT please on the Stadium debate! Time to reflect on how Tasmania got to be the treasured place it is today. Please step back and reflect on the history of Tasmania over the last 70 or so years.

It didn’t get there based on an antidevelopment process. It got there by building a backbone hydro-electric asset base to support an industrial base to generate employment, government revenue and thereby to support essential services funding to support a growing population. Coupled with that pro-development approach was an increasingly balanced approach over time to recognising the value of our unique natural resources and environment and the importance of the arts and our first peoples history and rights in keeping it all in balance.

We should all be proud of the balanced approach achieved over this 70-year history and recognise the need to keep that process moving forward.

We need to keep investing in building the backbone infrastructure to generate increasing government revenues in order to support our future community aspirations and expectations for health and housing.

In my opinion the Stadium fits neatly into this planned and balanced approach.

It is not a question of Either – Or for the stadium. We can have both outcomes. Development coupled with increasing ability to fund our essential services.

Let’s recognise our proud history and keep moving the state we all love forward into the future.

Tony Beach Williamstown Vic