“We all know a Tassie team is richly deserved and should’ve been granted with no stadium attached,” Opposition Leader Rebecca White said in a statement.

“But what should’ve been a unifying moment for Tasmania has been ruined by Jeremy Rockliff’s reckless decision to write a blank cheque for a stadium we don’t need.”

The onus was now on Rockliff to earn back Tasmanians’ trust by committing to full transparency on the AFL stadium deal,state independent MP Meg Webb said.

“They arrogantly dismissed the concerns,questions and warnings raised by many Tasmanians from all walks of life over this issue,” she said.

Under the plan,Tasmania will contribute $375 million for the project,the federal government $240 million,the AFL $15 million,and $85 million will come from “borrowings against land sale or lease for commercial uses”. The stadium was finally given the go-aheadafter securing federal government funding.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan on Friday said the new team – expected to be named the Tasmania Devils – and the stadium would proceed regardless as the agreement with the government was binding.

The loss of the two MPs leaves the Tasmanian Liberals with 11 out of 25 seats in the House of Assembly. They will need the support of two of the six crossbenchers to pass legislation.

“I’m extremely disappointed,but I’m getting on with the job,” Rockliff told reporters on Friday.

“People might not always agree with what we are doing,but we are doing it for the right reasons.”

Defending the stadium,Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said plans to upgrade the Macquarie Point site went back to at least 2012 when he was infrastructure minister under Julia Gillard.

“This site has been left derelict for too long.”

AAP

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country.Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.