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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 7 Hansard (2 July) . . Page.. 2237 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

really enhanced the stadium. We have also attempted to buy it from the Federal Government, which has reneged there, but I cannot for the life of me see what the Federal Government would do with that stadium if they ever wanted to retake ownership. Labor's criticism of that reminds me very much of the interesting financial situation that they got themselves into with the hotel school, which, fine institution though it is, has cost the community millions and millions of dollars more than it needed to because of the rather amazing arrangements, including contractual arrangements, that were entered into back in 1994, something that we are still sorting out.

I have worked out that the stadium, compared with other stadiums, costs about $1,750 a seat, which is a lot cheaper than some of the contemporary stadiums - Stadium Australia, Docklands and similar stadiums - which are around $2,500 a seat. It is something we will have, without much need for further work, for probably 40 or 50 years. It is a real showpiece. It ensures that we have one of the best stadiums in the world.

Mr Berry: But they own them, Bill.

MR STEFANIAK: It is a bit like having 99-year leases, Wayne. None of us in the Territory actually own our houses, but you are not going to suggest that they will be taken from under us at the end of the lease. I think you have to look at the practicalities. Your people did not worry about that when they moved the Raiders from Seiffert Oval to the stadium back in 1989. I think you really need to look at those things very carefully and not put into play here the politics we have had and the distortion we have had over the last three months. We do have an excellent asset for Canberra.

As to the talk about Manuka and Phillip, Manuka was picked at the end of a very long and exhaustive process by the cricket and AFL bodies. I think that is the first time that those two bodies have got together and done something like that for development. We have a bit of Federal money and, of course, we have the $8m or so which the ACT Government put in. I think they have picked well. Obviously, we can now go ahead with developing further that wonderful oval, which is one of the nicest ovals in Australia, if not the Southern Hemisphere, for playing cricket. It is also an oval where some wonderful Aussie Rules games have been played in the past, dating back many years indeed. I commend those two groups on what they have done there. We already have a wonderful asset, but now we will have an enhanced asset which will see a lot of AFL games played here.

By the way, whilst Bruce Stadium in its old oval shape was just big enough for Australian Rules and perhaps just big enough for night cricket, I think most people, certainly those people I have talked to, are really quite happy with the way it has been made into a rectangular ground. At some of the new stadiums, such as Stadium Australia, you cannot actually see the play, but you certainly can at Bruce. That is a big plus which a lot of people have mentioned. With the improvements to Manuka, Australian football and cricket will have a much more enhanced facility.

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