Proposed AFL training centre for Rosny in doubt after Tasmanian government accused of ‘backsliding’

In short:

The Tasmanian Government has been asked by Labor if it intends to move a planned AFL training centre from Hobart’s east coast to Kingborough in the city’s south, following accusations of “slowness”.

Election poll results show that 51.4 per cent of Clarence residents support building the facility entirely within local parks.

What’s next?

Premier Jeremy Rockliff says the vote is a council matter and there is still a lot of work and effort to be made.

Tasmania’s premier said there was still much to be done about the proposed AFL centre on Hobart’s east coast, after the opposition called on the state government to reveal whether it would relocate the centre.

The comments come days after a poll showed a narrow majority of Clarence City Council residents supported building the facility at the Government’s preferred site at Rosny Parklands and Charles Hand Park.

Asked on Sunday whether the government still intended to build a training facility at Rosny Parks, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he was still “very committed to building a high-capacity facility”.

“There is still a lot of work and due diligence to be done.

“Nobody in Tasmania would believe that the Liberal Government would abandon the AFL.

“We welcome the election poll, it is a matter for the council and its decision-making process.”

The Tasmanian government has proposed building a training centre in Rosny Parks but Labor MP Luke Edmunds said the government appeared to be “backtracking” and questioned whether it planned to relocate the centre to Kingborough Council, south of Hobart.

“This site was selected eight months ago and (Prime Minister) Jeremy Rockliff has not yet submitted a planning application,” Mr Edmunds said.

“I would say the clock is really ticking for Mr Rockliff. They need to submit a planning application now so the council can assess it properly.”

Having a high-performance facility is a requirement for Tasmanian AFL teams to join the league, with an application to develop the facility required to be approved by the end of 2024.

Luke Edmunds said the state government had five months to get council approval to build the training centre.(ABC News: Mitchell Woolnough)

In response to community opposition to the Rosny parks’ location, residents were asked to vote in a non-binding poll to see if they supported the idea. The results were slightly divided.

Of the more than 28,000 Clarence residents who cast their votes in the non-binding election, 51.4 per cent were in favour of building the facility entirely on the Rosny Parklands site, on the former public golf course site.

While 64.8 per cent voted against locating it within the parks and neighbouring Charles Hand Park, across the main road.

Since opening to visitors, Rosny parks have been popular among locals.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)

Mr Edmunds said the Tasmanian Government needed to clarify whether it intended to change the location to Kingborough Council.

“If they are planning a change, they should openly inform the community about it,” he said.

“Clarence just spent $200,000 on this survey.

“If the government had always planned to move it to Kingborough, well, that would have been very bad news for people.”

“Clarence Case” Poll Results

Tasmania’s Minister for Sport and Events Nic Street said he would continue to work with “relevant authorities” to deliver the project.

“The Labor Party must be joking if it thinks it has any credibility on matters relating to our AFL and AFLW teams,” Mr Street said.

“The survey is a matter for Clarence City Council.”

The sports centre is expected to be completed by 2026 and ready for training of the Tasmania Devils AFL and AFLW teams ahead of the inaugural season in 2028.

The training facility is a requirement for prospective AFL teams in the state and must include two oval pitches, an indoor training centre, administrative buildings and meet standards similar to other high-level AFL facilities.

A map of the park area, featuring two large ovals and many other buildings nearby. — The original concept developed for a high-performance centre has since been revised to reduce the size of the secondary oval.(Delivered)

Kingborough remains ‘ready, willing and able’

The poll – conducted at the request of community group Save Rosny’s Parks – did not sway Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley’s support for building the centre in his constituency.

However, Kingborough Mayor Paula Wriedt said the close poll result could “redirect the conversation” towards building a high-performance facility in her borough.

Late last year, Kingborough Borough Council unsuccessfully applied to host the AFL training facility.

“Kingborough is ready, willing and able to act should it prove impossible to construct a building there for any reason,” she said.

Councillor Wriedt said Kingborough Council would be well prepared to meet the upcoming AFL deadlines.

“We have two existing oval pitches that are practically ready for football players to run on,” she said.

“So this is a significant advantage in terms of being able to deliver the project on time, in line with the needs of the football club.”

Paula Wriedt says the council already has excellent facilities at two oval stadiums.(Provided by: Paula Wriedt)

Council recently announced it will host a sports facility for the Tasmanian basketball team the JackJumpers.

Councillor Wriedt said there were 33 different sporting organisations in Kingborough so an AFL training centre would likely face less community opposition.

“One of the things that we like about Kingborough is that if the sports centre came to us, it would be in an existing sports complex,” she said.

“And this is a completely different concept (than the development of public green areas).

“From the get-go, the initial conversations in our community have been very mixed, but we’re making sure we have a really robust engagement process and that we’re engaging everyone who could potentially be affected.”

A sports centre for Tasmanian JackJumpers will be built in Kingborough.(ABC News: Jake Grant)

Councillor Blomeley said he was willing to work with Councillor Wriedt to achieve the best outcome.

“(Kingborough) is the second choice… if for any reason the first choice doesn’t work, then the second choice is the one,” Cllr Blomeley said.

“Ultimately, it’s about delivering a high-performance facility for the team. It’s about ensuring we deliver the stadium.”

Cllr Blomeley said the decision was up to the State Government.

Tasmania Football Club chief executive Kath McCann has previously said Rosny was the preferred location but the club was not “tethered to the park”.

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If built at Rosny Parklands, the high-capacity centre would transform Clarence Council’s City Heart development plan, which would create a network of walking paths, cycle paths, playgrounds and parks across the site.

Technical reports and site studies on the Rosny facility and area were obtained under the freedom to information Act, but most of the information was redacted as “information obtained in confidence.”

The Tasmanian Government has committed $60 million towards the construction of the facility, with the AFL providing a further $10 million.

A preliminary agreement is being worked on between the council and the State Government before lease negotiations begin.

The park areas proposed for the AFL sports centre cover an area of 14.3 hectares of greenery.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)

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