The Clarence community has spoken in support of the proposed AFL/AFLW High Performance Centre being built in Rosny, as the results of an elector poll were announced today.

To the first question, 51.39 per cent of voters in favour of having the Centre built in Rosny Parkland, while to question two, 64.83 said they did not support the use of Rosny Parklands and Charles Hand Park.

Clarence City Council Mayor Brendan Blomeley said it is fantastic to have the views of the community comprehensively polled.

“I would like to thank the 28,482 residents who participated in the poll,” Mayor Blomeley said.

“This has been a great example of democracy in action, and I’d like to thank the Tasmanian Electoral Commission for facilitating the process.

“The community is more or less split down the middle and while this does not provide a definitive answer, a majority of residents support having the AFL/AFLW High Performance Centre in the Rosny Parklands.

“It also shows that this is a complex issue and one which some people see the potential of, and others have concerns with.

“What is clear is of the two options, having the centre solely located in the Rosny Parklands is the community’s preference.

“Interestingly, the view of the community closely mirrors the view of Council. Much has been made about Council being split 7-5 on the decision to submit our proposal, but quite clearly as a council we are broadly representative of the views of our community, as we have seen today.

“As the results are non-binding, Council will note the outcome at our next meeting.

“The best approach from here is for Council to work with the Department of State Growth to provide the community something material to comment on.

“If Rosny is still the preferred site, in our view the next steps would be for State Growth to share their plans and designs, to continue to inform the community, and provide specifics around what is proposed.”Council will continue to work towards finalising a Heads of Agreement with the Department of State Growth in readiness for the facility to be ready to use in 2026.

The final figures showed a response rate of 62.80 per cent, and of the 45,351 enrolled electors, 28,482 returned their ballots.

A full breakdown of the vote can be found on the TEC’s website – https://www.tec.tas.gov.au/local-government/elector-polls/2024/clarence-city/index.html