Sports minister Stuart Aryes issues grim warning over inaction on billions for Sydney’s stadium overhauls
SPORTS Minister Stuart Ayres has blasted critics of the government’s multi-billion dollar rebuild of Sydney’s biggest stadiums, adding that our city runs last in the country’s major events race because building stopped after the 2000 Olympics.
NSW
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SPORTS Minister Stuart Ayres has blasted critics of the government’s multi-billion dollar rebuild of our biggest stadiums, declaring Sydney is now running last in the country’s major events race.
Declaring that Sydney battled decaying stadiums because it “stopped building” after the Olympics “just when everyone else started”, Mr Ayres has fired back after 10 days of sustained political assault over the government’s plan to spend more than $2 billion bulldozing and rebuilding ANZ Stadium at Homebush and Allianz Stadium at Moore Park amid calls for the money to be spent elsewhere.
In pointed remarks over the issue — which has also divided the Berejiklian cabinet — Mr Ayres said failing to act “to score a few political points” would be “weak leadership” and pose serious risks to jobs and the economy.
“These stadiums inject more than a billion dollars into the NSW economy every year. If we don’t invest in these facilities, we put at risk that critical revenue supply for our state and the jobs of one in 23 people who rely on the events sector,” he said.
Labor is threatening to abandon the ANZ rebuild if it wins government and will repeatedly call for the money to be spent on health and education in what it believes is an election-winning issue.
And in an unusual political intervention, former Today host Lisa Wilkinson posted a petition to Twitter on Saturday, urging Premier Gladys Berejiklian to “stop NSW government wasting $2 billion rebuilding SFS and Olympic stadiums”.
In less than 24 hours, the petition had gained 20,000 signatures.
Staring down the naysayers, Mr Ayres mounted the case that Sydney has fallen behind the rest of the country after a decade of inaction after the Olympics.
He issued a damning account of how Sydney faced a “lost decade” of failing to build after the Olympics and now was “not even a starter”.
“Make no mistake the competition is fierce. After the Olympics we stopped building just when everyone else started. After a lost decade — we are now running last,” he said, adding that Sydney risked losing major events and investment because of the lag.
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Mr Ayres said Labor’s willingness to walk away from ANZ stadium would put at risk major commitments in the west such as the Nepean Hospital, the M4 Tunnel and the Powerhouse Museum.
“Just as Sydney Olympic Park is coming into its own, Labor will savage it. Putting at risk millions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs,” he said.
Labor Leader Luke Foley said his spending commitments would “reflect Labor’s priority of providing for the Health and education of NSW citizens”.
Mr Ayres said the spend needed to be put in perspective and that the NSW government would spend $200 billion on health and education over the time it took to build the stadiums.
“Stadiums represent just 1 per cent of that. In simple terms that means we think health and education is 100 times more important than stadiums.”
He pointed to Melbourne’s Docklands stadium, AAMI park and stand rebuilds at the MCG, as well as the Adelaide Oval rebuild, Brisbane’s Suncorp and the soon to open Perth $1.6 billion stadium as all being well ahead of Sydney.
“All too often governments shy away from good long-term decision making. Afraid of the cost, the backlash, the vested interests and that’s without even talking about the politics,” he said.
“Labor’s policy will rip the heart out of Western Sydney’s visitor economy.
“Kicking the stadium decision down the road to score a few political points is weak leadership. Letting Stadium Australia fall further behind its competition for major events will damage the Western Sydney economy. We must act now.”