The Greens Member for Bass, Andrea Dawkins, should stand up for the North against her Hobart-centric leader Cassy O’Connor over the Government’s new deal with the Hawthorn Football Club.
Ms Dawkins has expressed her support for the agreement with Hawthorn, giving notice of a motion that “notes the importance of the Hawthorn Football Club as a regular fixture at Aurora Stadium . . . in particular with regard to the local hospitality, tourism and retail sectors”.
But in her typically kneejerk response to anything positive, Ms O’Connor issued a statement yesterday criticising the new deal.
Ms Dawkins needs to stand up for her region against the cynical politics of her leader and demand better.
In her motion, Ms Dawkins referred to Tasmania being “the second home of the Hawks” and called on the Premier to “negotiate the best possible deal with the Club, securing at least four Premiership Season games at Aurora Stadium each year”.
That is exactly what the Hodgman Liberal Government has delivered, so it is now beholden on Ms Dawkins to condemn Ms O’Connor’s remarks.
The fact is the latest modelling shows the total value of the Hawks deal, including the direct economic impact of games, as well as national brand exposure, to be nearly $30 million per year.
That’s an almost eight-fold return on our annual investment for Tasmania.
Clearly this is a great deal for Tasmania and particularly the North, and will be well received by football fans and small businesses.
Ms O’Connor should also be reminded that the Government is investing a record $1.44 Billion in education and training and is making the biggest ever investment in Tasmania’s health system with $100 million in additional funding, and a total budget of more than $6 Billion over four years.