Macquarie Point stadium: BESIX Watpac named preferred builder as earthworks continue

BESIX Watpac has been selected as the preferred tenderer to build the Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium, the Tasmanian Government and the Macquarie Point Development Corporation (MPDC) announced on 15 October 2026. The selection concludes Stage 1 of the two-stage Request for Tender, which opened in April 2026. Two shortlisted teams lodged initial tenders in August:

• BESIX Watpac — selected as preferred tenderer
• Constructure Joint Venture — Webuild and China Construction Oceania, with McConnell Dowell as a key partner

In Stage 2, BESIX Watpac will work with MPDC on delivery arrangements, opportunities for Tasmanian businesses and workers, and the details of a construction contract. Contract award is targeted for the end of 2026. MPDC has also set up the Macquarie Point Precinct Industry Group, which brings together five peak bodies from hospitality, tourism, business events, civil construction and building as a channel between MPDC, the contractor and local industry.

On site, Hazell Bros commenced bulk earthworks in July 2026 — bulk excavation of around 100,000 cubic metres of soil, site preparation and archaeological investigations ahead of major construction. Those works are expected to run to mid-2027.

Separately, Tasmania's House of Assembly passed a non-binding motion in May calling on the government to table an updated cost estimate by 11 August 2026.

Where the cost estimate stands

No updated estimate was tabled by the deadline. On 10 August Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the Macquarie Point Development Corporation would not release figures while procurement was under way, and on 12 August the House of Assembly voted 25–7 against a Greens motion seeking the figure. In September, independent MLC Meg Webb tabled a Legislative Council motion asking for the final cost and the state's contribution to be provided before the construction contract is signed; she has said she will bring it on for debate when the Council sits on 27 October.

Treasurer Eric Abetz has said $1.13 billion remains the figure until a revised one is announced. No revised figure was published with the preferred-tenderer announcement; on 15 October the Premier said an updated cost would be released before the final contract is signed.

For anyone pricing work on this job, $1.13 billion is the current official estimate, with a revised figure expected before the contract is signed.

How the funding stacks up

The stadium was estimated at $1.13 billion. The committed funding:

Those three figures total exactly $1.13 billion.

Three things are worth knowing.

The funding matches the estimate exactly. The envelope equals the $1.13 billion figure to the dollar.

The federal $240 million is for the precinct, not only the stadium. The Australian Government describes it as a contribution to the Macquarie Point Precinct — public spaces, housing, commercial activity, cultural uses and major events. How much of it goes to the stadium itself has not been published.

And the state contribution is capped. The $875 million fixed cap on the state's contribution was one of the safeguards independent MLC Bec Thomas secured from the government before the Legislative Council vote in December 2025.

What is being built

Design features include a stage pocket in the northern stand for concerts, a single continuous concourse serving the whole stadium, a seating bowl designed to bring crowds closer to the action, and separated back-of-house and catering facilities with a below-ground service road.

The roof is the defining engineering element. The long-span dome showcases Tasmanian timber, and its transparent ETFE skin is designed to let in enough light to grow natural turf and avoid the need for large light towers.

Who already holds work

Schlaich Bergermann Partners, the design team's international partner, is a specialist in long-span roof structures — the stadium's defining engineering element.

Approvals and the AFL timeline

The stadium received final parliamentary approval on 4 December 2025, when the Legislative Council voted 9–5 to approve the State Policies and Projects (Macquarie Point Precinct) Order 2025, which lets the stadium proceed as a project of State significance. The House of Assembly had approved the Order 25–9 on 13 November 2025.

The stadium is a condition of the Tasmania Devils' AFL licence. The Devils enter the competition in 2028 and will play their first three seasons at Bellerive Oval and Launceston's York Park. Under the agreement with the AFL the stadium is to be complete by 30 December 2030, with the first AFL matches there in the 2031 season. Main construction is expected to start in mid-2027, after the earthworks.

The May motion for an updated cost estimate was moved in response to rising construction material costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East. The Premier has said an updated cost will be released before the final contract is signed.

What to watch

1. A revised cost estimate, which the Premier has said will be released before the final contract is signed.
2. Stage 2 with BESIX Watpac and contract award, targeted for the end of 2026.
3. Bulk earthworks completion mid-2027, which gates the main build.
4. How any change in cost is funded, given the $875 million cap on the state contribution.
5. Completion by 30 December 2030, the date in the AFL agreement, ahead of the Devils' first season at the stadium in 2031.

Published 1 September 2026 · Updated 27 October 2026