ADELAIDE OVAL

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (14:57): My question is again to the Treasurer. Does the $535 million state government contribution towards the Adelaide Oval upgrade include the cost of the proposed roof over the Memorial Drive centre court and, if not, what is the estimated cost of the roof and who will be responsible for that?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Federal/State Relations, Minister for Defence Industries) (14:58): I do now confess publicly that my press conference today was not done in secret because Andrew Coombe was there—and I think he may have even been taping it—and the leader was not far away, and this question was asked and I answered it. So, I do not know what the leader's press secretary does when he shadows my press conferences. He certainly does not listen too closely and report back.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: He was probably beating up a journalist at the time.

Mr Bignell interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Who was?

Mr Bignell: Mike Sexton.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Good bloke.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: The bloke he didn't recognise.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Didn't recognise who called him Mike.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: What we have said about the initial design is—this is one of the major cost increases that was incurred—that there was a vision, a plan or a concept of a much grander redevelopment of what is the current tennis precinct, but although I did not consult with the minister for sport on this, I was able to deduce that we were unlikely to have the Australian Open in Adelaide, but it was a very good design if you did have an endless bottomless pit of money. Again what we have said is that, within the envelope of money that we have made available, they will have to—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I am just answering it, leader. Within the envelope that we have announced yesterday, they will have to fund whatever it is they want to do to the tennis centre in terms of turning it into a 'shed', which, I understand, is a requirement of the Crows. I think the Port Adelaide guys are happy to walk up to the local pub, but the Crows' supporters want a 'shed'.

I do not know; that is entirely up to the SANFL. If you ask me what the cost of the roof is: I do not know. I have to confess that I do not know what the cost of the roof is, specifically, but that, again, has to be funded from within the envelope. If we are to win the World Cup, there is advice that, because of the requirements of FIFA to have a facility there for undercover warm-ups, etc., you may, indeed, have a more grand design undertaken, but that would be funded by the commonwealth contribution.

If I have to cop a fair bit of flak because I say 500 instead of 450, or I am seen to be having some problems with some of the numbers, the leader, embarrassingly, said a short a while ago that she was adding the 250 to the 500 to come up with a figure in excess of 800. It is our contribution minus the commonwealth contribution, less whatever else is expended.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Marshall: Nothing wrong with her numbers.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Nothing wrong with her numbers?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You've had your fun.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I guess there is nothing wrong with Isobel's numbers, is there, Martin, or Vickie?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: This is getting difficult. I said in the house yesterday, and I will repeat what I said yesterday: if there are further additional costs required for FIFA they will be small, and that might be an extra $10 million or something for—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the deputy leader!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I said yesterday, and I will say it again: if we win the FIFA bid, the major structural work to the ground will have already been done as part of the cost to be FIFA-compliant; that is, the seats and the laser levelling of the oval. Apparently there is a six foot drop from the centre—

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Five foot drop.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: —five foot drop from the centre to the boundary. But if there is some extra small expenditure, and I said that yesterday, that would come out of the contribution from the commonwealth. But the vast bulk of the commonwealth contribution is minus—taken away—from the state contribution. I say to the member for Norwood, on that one both your leader and yourself are way, way wrong.