Peter Gutwein,Premier
The comments from Richard Goyder where he claims the AFL are 'not kicking the can down the road' and delaying the decision on a Tasmanian team are very disappointing and at odds with what his own CEO agreed to earlier this year.
The agreed position the State understood it had with the AFL was for the Carter report to be released mid-year (which has been delivered albeit nearly a month late) and that then the Commission would put the question of a Tasmanian license to the Presidents at the end of this year and at the latest by early next year.
Furthermore, as outlined in our business case. a new team from Tasmania would not join the competition for 5-6 years to ensure that all necessary preconditions could be met.
This is a risk-free option for the AFL and their view now that no timeline can be set for the decision on a license has to be called out for exactly what it is - simply another delaying tactic and the 'can' once again being kicked down the road.
The AFL have frustrated our efforts for our own team for 30 years, our local game has not benefited from our current arrangements and as a result our once proud football State is in need of a new direction.
I have been clear and unequivocal on our steps from here and as I stated last week, if agreement cannot be reached on putting the case to Presidents in the timeframe previously agreed, the State will not roll over the contracts with Hawthorn and North Melbourne and this will be on the AFL's head.
