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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-12-01 Daily Xml
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STATE SPORTS PARK

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (15:17): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing? Is he aware of a proposal to sell land that is currently home to State Sports Park?

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee—Minister for Police, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:17): I was astonished to hear last week, and again on ABC Radio yesterday morning, that the Liberals intend to sell 140 hectares of land at Gepps Cross to fund their city stadium—a city stadium which, at the last count, will cater for 80,000 spectators. It seems that the capacity of their proposed stadium changes depending on what day it is. I was astounded by their announcement because the land they are proposing to sell is home to the Super-Drome—

Mr WILLIAMS: On a point of order, I do not believe that the answer the minister is giving has any relevance at all to the question asked, which was: is he aware of a proposal to sell land?

The SPEAKER: Order! I will listen to the answer, but at the moment I think he is answering the question.

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: Thank you, sir. I was astounded by their announcement because the land they are proposing to sell is home to the Super-Drome and the Distinctive Homes hockey stadium.

Mr WILLIAMS: On a point of order, this has long tinged my curiosity: I understand that in the House of Commons, from whom we take our lead, it is out of order to read speeches or, indeed, answers to questions. I do not believe that the minister is using copious notes; I believe that he is reading, and I challenge him to answer the question without his notes.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: It is also home to the Croatian Sports Centre, which is—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: Since the opposition leader announced plans to sell off land at Gepps Cross, I have been searching high and low to find out where a new velodrome and hockey stadium will be built. I am sure that the owners of the Croatian Sports Centre have been doing the same thing, as they would be eager to find out what the Liberals have planned for them, considering they own the land the Liberals intend to sell. Last week, I managed to download a copy of their policy, entitled 'New Stadium at Riverside West', before it mysteriously disappeared off isobelredmond.com. Unfortunately, we are yet to hear anything about their plans for the Super-Drome, hockey stadium and Croatian Sports Centre.

This proposal by the Liberal Party must be one of the sloppiest, half-baked policies I have ever seen. They claim a significant portion of the funding for their new stadium will be generated by the sale of government land. The fact is that a maximum area of only 55 hectares is available for development at Gepps Cross. Even if you include the Super-Drome, hockey stadium, Croatian Sports Centre and other land, or redevelop, there is still only around 95 hectares available. That is a long way off the 140 hectares the Leader of the Opposition plans to sell. We are also well aware of the intentions to sell off land at West Lakes that they do not even own. It is utter nonsense and grossly misleading to South Australians.

The Leader of the Opposition must tell South Australia what her plans are for the velodrome, hockey stadium and Croatian Sports Centre—if they plan to sell the land, where they will build new facilities and how they will fund this; if they will not sell the land, how they will fund their new stadium. The hockey stadium at State Sports Park is not only the home of hockey in South Australia but also hosts training and events of other sports, making it a vital piece of sporting infrastructure. Hockey SA has over 12,000 members and the majority of them use the facility seven days a week for up to 10 hours a day.

The velodrome is also used by thousands of people each year and is home to the AIS cycling program, Cycling SA and other cycling clubs. The velodrome is also used by hockey and taekwondo clubs for indoor training, competition and events. It is estimated that a new velodrome would cost in the vicinity of $10 million to $20 million as a bare minimum, while a new hockey stadium would cost at least $14 million. Then there is the cost of acquiring and relocating the Croatian Sports Centre. Perhaps the Liberals—

Mr PENGILLY: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I wonder whether you could read out the question again because I think the minister has lost track of what the question was. He has got the wrong answer. He is doing a Dorothy Dixer.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT: Perhaps the Liberals have decided cycling and hockey sporting groups are not worthy of these facilities and will build a new stadium to the detriment of grassroots sports. It is clear this proposal has not been well thought out and there are gaping holes in their plan which, so far, has raised more questions, rather than providing answers. But, more importantly, the figures just do not add up. They say that they are going to sell 140 hectares of land that does not exist and they will be selling land that they do not own. One day they say the capacity for the proposed stadium will be 50,000: the next day it leaps to 80,000. This kind of shoddy policy work is what we have come to expect from the Liberals. It demonstrates that they are simply not fit to govern.

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