Michael Daley branded ‘reckless’ over stadiums plan
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has blasted the NSW State Opposition’s plan not to fund the knockdown rebuild of the Sydney Football Stadium or the revamp of ANZ Stadium as “reckless” and “irresponsible”.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has blasted the NSW State Opposition’s plan not to fund the knockdown rebuild of the Sydney Football Stadium or the revamp of ANZ Stadium as “reckless” and “irresponsible”.
Ms Berejiklian said she wanted to keep the NRL grand final in NSW for the next 25 years and “I don’t want to see Labor throw that away to other states”.
ALP State leader Michael Daley has vowed taxpayers would not be paying for the $730 million rebuild of Sydney Football Stadium, also known as Allianz, and the $810 million revamp of ANZ at Homebush.
But Ms Berejiklian said Labor’s policies of “axing and cancelling will leave the state to rack and ruin”. She said she was spending more than $6 billion on new hospitals and upgrades in western Sydney alone and NSW sorely needed infrastructure after years of “Labor neglect”.
“I’m sick of hearing about how Victoria and Queensland and Adelaide and Perth have stadiums better than NSW,” she said.
“Their only policies have been about cancelling projects. Who thinks it’s okay to have second or third class infrastructure?
“I don’t think it’s okay. For many people attending a sporting event is the thing their family does.”
2GB radio broadcaster Alan Jones, the longest-serving member of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust, said on air today the trust was a not-for-profit, public organisation and that Mr Daley had “done no homework”.
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“The bloke’s demonstrating an ignorance which is breathtaking,” Mr Jones said.
“Labor Party Leader Michael Daley ought to do a bit of listening before he talks.
“He’s welcome to meet with the Trust at any time. Michael Daley, you might learn something.”
The state election will be a referendum on stadiums, with Mr Daley declaring he will not pay a cent of taxpayer money towards a brand new arena in Moore Park, even if Allianz Stadium is demolished before the March election.
Twenty five years of grand finals locked in for NSW as part of the deal for a rebuilt stadium were last night at risk under Mr Daley’s plan, as he urged the government to delay the demolition until after the election.
Mr Daley has boldly declared Labor government would divert all of the $1.5 billion earmarked for stadiums to schools and hospitals.
“If the people of NSW want this election to be a referendum on stadiums then so be it. But I’m on the side of the angels,” he said.
The state government is on track to flatten the ageing Moore Park stadium before the March 23 poll date, and has committed to building a brand new state of the art facility worth $700 million for the site.
It has argued that the stadium will provide jobs and tourism for Sydney and that Allianz stadium does not meet current world standards.
Mr Daley yesterday urged the government to delay the demolition until after the election, but said if it goes ahead the SCG Trust will need to take out a loan to pay for the brand new stadium, rather than use taxpayer money.
The SCG Trust posted just a $2 million operating surplus last financial year — well short of the $700 million cost of a new stadium.
Annual financial reports show the Trust made $99.4 million in operating revenue, but spent $97.5 million in operating expenses including the cost of running events, maintaining the grounds, marketing, staff and depreciation.
Mr Daley said he would assist the Trust with finding a loan but there would be no public money given for free.
“If you knock this stadium down, there will be no public handout to rebuild it,” Mr Daley said.
“I will sit down with the Trust and assist them with finance. They can get a loan from the banks. We can talk about a concessional loan from the government but they will have to pay it back.
“There will be no ripping off taxpayers here.”
The interior dismantling of Allianz has already began, with demolition scheduled for January, subject to planning approval, which the government expects within weeks.
Mr Daley said he was not declaring war on the SCG Trust and said he would work with the Trustees to come up with a “good arrangement”, but that it would not cost the taxpayer.
Labor has always opposed the stadium spend at the Moore Park facility, but Mr Daley has gone further than his predecessor Luke Foley by ruling out a taxpayer spend.
“The people of NSW have a clear choice. If you want billions of dollars spent knocking down perfectly good stadiums, vote for the liberals and the nationals. If you want billions of dollars put into schools and hospitals, vote for me,” he said.
The government has repeatedly argued that it intends to spend money on both schools and hospitals.
Just yesterday, the government announced more than 900 schools would be the first to receive funding for airconditioning under a new $500 million program.
Ms Berejiklian, responding to Labor’s plan to block government funding for the stadium, said yesterday: “Labor don’t have any positive policies. They just have plans to cancel major infrastructure projects.”
“Under Labor there will be no F6 Extension, no Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link, no Sydenham to Bankstown Metro rail upgrade and a hole where the Sydney Football Stadium used to be.
“Labor have made it clear they would rather have a hole in the ground than a world class stadium that attracts events and provides a huge boost for jobs and tourism.
“We want the world’s best and biggest events right here in NSW. Labor want to give away the NRL Grand Final for the first time in the State’s history.”
NRL chair Peter Beattie said there was no question that “Allianz needs to be rebuilt somehow”.
“How these things are funded is a matter for government. The reality is Sydney is Australia’s largest city and Allianz is a dog of a stadium. That’s why people don’t go to games. It has to be rebuilt properly.”
NRL ceo Todd Greenberg said without a rebuilt Allianz, “we would have the option to take the Grand Final to other states.”
“NSW has already fallen way behind Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and WA which all have modern stadiums,” he said.
The SCG Trust declined to comment.
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