Federal treasurer Jim Chalmers has refused to rule out funding a new stadium in Tasmania, a hurdle standing in the way of an Apple Isle team joining the national competition.
Set to hand down the budget this week, Chalmers admitted that the government would be willing to invest in the needed infrastructure should the Tasmanian team be granted a license, but would not receive any funding in this year's budget.
Speaking to News Corp, Chalmers said that the government were willing to have discussions on the investment in Tasmania.
โOur door is always open for discussions about how we invest in Tasmania, how we make sure that Tasmania is not left behind,โ Chalmers said.
โThose discussions as always will be subject to the pretty substantial constraints that we have on the budget.โ
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has already flagged the intention to build a state-of-the-art stadium in Hobart for the new club, committing half of the required $750 million needed for the project, with the federal government potentially willing to invest cash into the stadium.
โNo doubt there'll be approaches of some kind and we'll judge them on their merits,โ Mr Chalmers said.
โIf you want AFL to be a truly national sport, then it makes a lot of sense for Tasmania to have a team.โ
All but four AFL clubs have seemingly backed a Tasmanian team joining the league, with Gold Coast, Collingwood, Sydney and Hawthorn those reportedly opposed to the venture.
The potential new 19th club is set to enter the competition in 2027, should they be granted a license.
