Macquarie Point stadium Hobart, Tasmania: Single image sparks outrage

A single image has fueled outrage at the huge amount of money being handed out for a new stadium that protesters say should be spent on more housing.

Anthony Albanese’s government has pledged to pour $240 million towards the proposed Macquarie Point stadium in Hobart, Tasmania, at a total cost of $750 million.

The anger felt by so many was captured by a viral tweet that side-by-side compared the plan for the stadium to a depiction of how the same space could be used to build 1,000 new homes.

‘Compare the pair,’ the tweet said. “A thousand houses or 23,000 seats that are empty 350 days a year.”

Opposition to the stadium, which will be home to a new AFL franchise, has been driven primarily by the ongoing housing crisis Hobart has been experiencing for years.

The government of Anthony Albanese has pledged $240 million for the proposed Macquarie Point stadium in Hobart, Tasmania. The prime minister is pictured (center), surrounded by people who oppose the stadium, saying the money should be spent on housing

The Prime Minister was met by protesters when he visited Macquarie Point two weeks ago to announce the investment in a ‘one-in-a-generation’ urban regeneration project.

The $240 million federal contribution to the cost of the stadium was made official in Tuesday’s budget papers, bringing the issue back to more scrutiny.

An alternative plan for Macquarie Point – which can be seen in the viral tweet – has been developed by architects and is being pushed by Booker Prize-winning author Richard Flanagan.

The plan includes 1,000 homes housing about 3,000 people, which would cost $400 million — just over half the price of the stadium.

“The question for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is: does he want to be remembered as the man who funded a white elephant that the Tasmanians didn’t want?” Mr Flanagan recently told the ABC.

“Or the man who financed the 1,000 houses Tasmanians needed?”

A tweet comparing Hobart’s new stadium plan (pictured right) to an alternative housing plan (left) has sparked anger

Opposition to the stadium, which will be home to a new AFL franchise, has been driven primarily by the ongoing housing crisis Hobart has been experiencing for years. The photo features protesters

The tweet comparing the alternative plans was backed up with comments saying the stadium’s funding is “appalling,” “crazy” and “a spectacular failure.”

Another poster said, “There are so many better ways to spend the $.”

Anglicare Tasmania’s annual Rental Affordability report just found that rents in the island nation were rising 10 times faster than income support.

“The snapshot shows a widening gap between the rents being charged and the amount that low-income people can afford,” said Mary Bennett, coordinator of the Anglicare Social Action and Research Centre.

Poll leaked to The Australian found 67 per cent of Tasmanians opposed plans to build the stadium at Macquarie Point.

When Mr Albanese visited the site in late April, he was overrun by protesters holding banners against the project.

“We want affordable housing, not a stadium. Affordable housing!’ cried a man.

When Mr Albanese visited the site (pictured) in late April, he was overrun by protesters holding banners opposing the project

“Priorities Albo, please,” another woman said. “The big picture is housing.”

Many critics say a new stadium is unnecessary as Hobart’s Bellerive Oval and Launceston’s York Park can both be used for the AFL team’s upcoming home games.

Cassy O’Connor, the leader of the Tasmanian Greens, told the state parliament that ‘we deserve our own team without having to pay the taxpayer for a stadium – something no other state has had to do to get a team.

“We deserve our own teams and we deserve not to be burdened with a billion dollar stadium, half a billion dollar debt, an eyesore on the waterfront and two existing, fine stadiums that become white elephants. ‘