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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-30 Daily Xml
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Question Time

ADELAIDE OVAL

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (14:13): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure. What is the latest cost estimate of the Adelaide Oval upgrade, and has the cost estimate blown out to between $50 million and $200 million above the $535 million government contribution, as suggested by Steven Trigg in the media this morning?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Energy) (14:14): The opposition are determined that this will not proceed, whatever they can do this should not proceed. The circumstance is that the taxpayer is exposed for $535 million—up to $535 million.

The current construction budget is $450 million, with $85 million going towards SACA as compensation for their assets with a done deal. The current western side of the oval, with 14,000 seats (I think it is) is costing $116 million, which is about $8,500 a seat. The $450 million for the remaining 34,000 seats, by our rough arithmetic, allows for about $12,500 a seat. We believe that is a very reasonable and realistic budget. There are people out there who believe it may cost more, and there may be, as we have said before (it is completely on the record), some issues about contingencies and escalation. That is the reason why, when I answered yesterday, I told the member for Davenport that we were—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: —rolling out more funds because we want to land the project in 2014, and we want to get the earliest possible contractor involvement, because that is how we will contain the cost. The figure of $200 million more than the $450 million is, in my view, a complete nonsense. You would have to understand what—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: He's good isn't he? When they don't like an answer they simply won't listen. What has been happening here with the opposition and the question about who pays for the interest and where it comes from is not about any protection of government finances, because $535 million is the absolute ceiling. What it has been about is the member for Davenport trying to provoke a fight between football and cricket—and that is exactly what he is trying to do, and he knows it. What we have sought to do is bring football and cricket back together after 40-odd years of fighting, and what the member for Davenport wants to do is keep them fighting. Well, that is their ambition; it is not ours.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Have we finished our debate across the floor?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer and the Minister for Transport will be quiet! The member for Mitchell.

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