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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-07-20 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE OVAL

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:49): Can the Treasurer explain what is the practical effect of the government's $30 million second mortgage over Adelaide Oval given to secure SACA's debt, and is the government seriously suggesting that, if SACA defaults on its debt repayment, the government would sell up Adelaide Oval? The chairman of the government's steering committee told the Budget and Finance Committee on 12 July 2010 that the way in which the second mortgage was to be enforced was to appoint a receiver to sell up Adelaide Oval.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Do you want to hear the answer?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Federal/State Relations, Minister for Defence Industries) (14:49): The issue of a loan to SACA was quite well known. It is not uncommon for governments to provide loans to sporting bodies. In fact, under the former Liberal government, as you would recall, loans were made to the SANFL, from memory, for the SANFL grandstand upgrade. The reality would be that, if SACA was to default it would probably mean, by definition, that SACA no longer was viable and existing and there would be a major crisis in cricket in this state, and the government would be responsible for the loan. That's obvious, but you are asking me a question about something that the chairman of the SMA, Ian McLachlan, said.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Bruce Carter. I am not responsible for what Bruce Carter said. Obviously, the government is not in a position to sell Adelaide Oval because it does not own Adelaide Oval.

An honourable member: Did Bruce Carter mislead the committee?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Did Bruce Carter mislead the committee? For goodness sake!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Did your committee members question him on that statement?

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Did they? What did they question him about on that statement?

An honourable member: Go read it.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Which means he hasn't got it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I am not going to take out of context something that Mr Carter may have said. He is a leading businessman in this state who does a lot of work for government to assist it in difficult—

Mrs Redmond: He ran WorkCover well.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: He did an outstanding job as Chairman of WorkCover. The opposition are prepared to go to any depths to attack and ridicule this project. The government has made an offer to the SANFL and the SACA; it has provided a loan guarantee for the western grandstand. My briefing note advises me that interest payments will be capitalised and included in the loan should the development not go ahead. I am having that advice double-checked to make sure that everything I say to this house is correct, but that is what my briefing note says.

The point is that this is a complex project; it has required the government to take risk; it has required a boldness and a preparedness by this government to go the extra mile to deliver football back into the centre of this city.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: You can do either of two things in government: you can sit back and be a passenger and let events unfold or you can try to make significant change—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: You can try to make significant change in this state. Our government has elected to make significant change. We believe that if we can get Adelaide Oval redeveloped—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Premier will sit down.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You would better off at the football with those foghorn voices than you are in here, and I am sick of it. I cannot hear what is going on. Curb some of your testosterone.

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