A contentious Hobart waterfront stadium project, a prerequisite for Tasmania's inclusion in the AFL, is set to face an independent planning assessment.
An order to declare the stadium a project of significance - and send it to the state planning commission - passed Tasmania's lower house of parliament on Thursday night.
Construction of a 23,000-seat roofed stadium at Macquarie Point, slated to cost $715 million, was a condition of the AFL granting the island state a team licence.
The minority Liberal state government was forced to pursue the commission assessment process in a deal with two MPs who went to the cross bench over concerns with the project.
The Labor opposition, which has described the stadium as the wrong priority and a waste of money, voted for the order.
Labor leader Rebecca White said the planning commission assessment was the best chance of getting answers about the true cost of the stadium.
"This decision is not an endorsement of the stadium," she said.
"On the contrary, there are so many doubts about the engineering and financing of the stadium.
"This independent assessment process is the only way to get some transparency about details of the project the government has kept secret."
The declaration order must still pass the upper house, where Labor and the Liberals hold a combined eight of 15 seats.
Once the stadium plan is assessed by the planning commission, it will head back to parliament for final approval through both houses.
Ms White expects the commission assessment process to take several years.
The AFL has said 2028 is a likely start date for a team, with the state government facing financial penalties if the stadium isn't built by 2029.
Minister for Stadia and Events Nic Street said Labor was being "wishy-washy" on their stadium position.
"Labor knows that there will be no AFL or AFLW team without a stadium," he said.
“If you try to stand for everything, you end up standing for nothing, and Labor has once again been exposed for trying to have it every which way."
Hundreds rallied in Hobart earlier this year against the stadium, arguing the money could be better spent on under-pressure essential services.
The state government has pledged $375 million toward the project, while the federal government has committed $240 million for the broader Macquarie Point development.
A draft Macquarie Point plan including transport corridors, an Aboriginal cultural zone and residential apartments was released last weekend.
