An opinion article consisting of 3,000 words, authored by a senior public servant from Tasmania advocating for the Macquarie Point stadium, has been characterized by the government as an “independent” effort. However, email correspondence has unveiled that the Tasmania Devils AFL football club provided input and feedback during the drafting process, while Master Builders Tasmania assisted with editing and media strategies. Additionally, there was a plan to inform influential upper house independents about the article, none of which was disclosed during parliamentary discussions.
The principles guiding Tasmania’s state service emphasize that it operates in an “impartial” and “apolitical” manner. The government has not presented any documentation confirming that Coordinator-General John Perry secured approval for the opinion piece.
As the parliamentary vote on the Macquarie Point stadium approached in less than two months, Coordinator-General John Perry entered the conversation publicly. His contribution took the form of a lengthy opinion article published in The Mercury, a prominent daily newspaper in Tasmania.
In his article, Mr. Perry attempted to quantify the anticipated economic benefits that could arise from the state’s proposed investment of $875 million. His forecasts suggested a potential economic return more than six times higher than the government’s own projections. “Can we really afford for the State not to make that investment?” he questioned in the piece.
The primary responsibility of Mr. Perry’s office is to attract private investment to Tasmania. However, his public remarks on the stadium, prior to the critical parliamentary vote, have raised concerns about his adherence to the principles outlined in the State Service Act regarding impartiality and non-partisanship.
What remained undisclosed at the time was the significant involvement of other stakeholders in shaping and promoting Mr. Perry’s article before its public release. Emails acquired by the ABC—provided by his department nine months after a request under freedom of information laws—indicated that draft versions of the opinion piece circulated among various parties, including the Tasmania Devils AFL football club.
Although the article was published in October 2025, communications reveal that the football club had already engaged with Mr. Perry’s work two months earlier. He conducted an economic analysis regarding the stadium and sent a draft narrative to the club’s marketing manager, Kathryn McCann, seeking her input.
In his correspondence, he noted the narrative required further refinement and expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration. A month later, Mr. Perry shared his findings with the football club’s senior management and board.
The following day, he informed Premier Jeremy Rockliff of his intention to seek approval for publishing the opinion piece, acknowledging that as a public servant, such clearance might be necessary. However, no formal approval documentation was found under freedom of information laws, and neither the government nor the Office of the Coordinator-General responded to inquiries regarding the approval process.
As the article progressed, Mr. Perry indicated in several emails that his aim was to provide a counter-narrative to prevailing sentiments opposing the stadium investment. He shared drafts with Ms. McCann and sent multiple versions to Jenna Cairney, the CEO of Master Builders Tasmania, who previously served as the premier’s communications director and was once the editor of The Mercury.
Ms. Cairney offered her feedback, stating that she had prepared a media release for a news lead, while Ms. McCann proposed adding additional information—details of which were redacted—and offered assistance in disseminating the article to media outlets. Ultimately, a media release was not issued, but it is understood that the piece was presented to the media as if it were solely Mr. Perry’s work.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC) had also requested that Mr. Perry’s article coincide with the government’s formal response to a critical report from the Tasmanian Planning Commission.
Three days before the article’s publication, Mr. Perry sent a draft to DPAC and the Premier’s office, which included annotations and a suggested media release strategy from Ms. Cairney. Furthermore, he proposed to brief key upper house members regarding his economic analysis, as the government required support from additional members beyond those in the lower house.
Typically, briefings from departmental staff regarding legislation are extended to all upper house members rather than a select few. The ABC inquired about the meaning of “key” members and whether it was appropriate for a state official to suggest this approach, but neither the government nor the Office of the Coordinator-General responded.
It appears that the suggestion for Mr. Perry to meet with these members came from the Tasmania Football Club. At least one upper house member indicated that a briefing was not offered despite the government’s need for their votes.
After the article was released on October 11, Mr. Perry faced questions during a parliamentary hearing regarding whether the government had requested the piece. He clarified that he had shared it internally shortly before its public release and provided it to others on the day it was distributed.
