ADELAIDE OVAL

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (14:55): My question is to the Minister for Recreation and Sport. Minister, how are the surplus seats from the Adelaide Oval redevelopment being re-used to assist community sports groups?

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Recreation and Sport) (14:55): I would just like to thank the member for Mitchell for his question. The response of the South Australian sporting community to the offer of free surplus seats from the soon to be redeveloped Adelaide Oval has been absolutely brilliant. The Stadium Management Authority had been inundated with requests for seating after calling for expressions of interest from clubs earlier this month.

Sporting clubs and community groups across the state have submitted more than 400 applications for more than 70,000 seats. The way in which this opportunity to own a piece of history has been embraced really shows how revered the Adelaide Oval is by South Australians. Obviously, the amount of seats requested—at over 70,000—exceeds the 8,500 available, so we have decided that, in the interests of fairness, the best way to proceed is to allocate the free seats via a random draw.

Everyone who applied by yesterday's cut-off date will be included in the draw, but, unfortunately, some clubs and groups will necessarily miss out due to the overwhelming public response. The redevelopment of Adelaide Oval is a fantastic project, and I am sure that everyone is excited that work is about to commence. The seats being given away are predominantly from the Chappell stands, as well as the northern and eastern concourse.

I am proud of the fact that we are able to use these 8,500 surplus flip-style seats to create a lasting asset for sports clubs and community groups throughout the state. The successful clubs will be advised in writing by the Stadium Management Authority, and they will need to collect the seats from Adelaide Oval. Following the draw, a full list of successful clubs will be available at www.adelaideovalredevelopment.com.au.