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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-05-18 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE OVAL

Ms FOX (Bright) (14:05): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house on his visit to the offices of the Stadium Management Authority to see the latest designs for the redevelopment of Adelaide Oval?

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:05): I was delighted to visit the oval office the other day—this is the Stadium Management Authority offices—and speak to the team of 70 design professionals—interior design, external design, people looking at wind movements for engineering—

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: No French aspect to it?

The Hon. M.D. RANN: No, it wasn't really French. I know that the Leader of the Opposition recently gave an extraordinary speech saying that her vision for South Australia was sort of 45,000 French villages, so maybe in order to get the Liberal Party's support for the oval we might have to call it the equivalent of the Stade de France.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

Mr WILLIAMS: There is no relevance to the question.

The Hon. K.O. Foley interjecting:

Mr WILLIAMS: You're the one who has lost relevance, Kevin.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier can answer the question as he chooses, but I will listen carefully.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I am told she has been wandering around the corridors singing Je Ne Regrette Rien, or probably more likely Abba's Voulez Vous. But, anyway, we will get back to that. Last week I visited the oval office and spoke to the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —team of 70 design professionals who are working hard to ensure the Adelaide Oval project is construction-ready by the end of the year. I announced on that day that the state government would be advancing $12 million from the $535 million allocated to the redevelopment to enable that work to continue following the overwhelming vote of the SACA members in support of this project. This money will enable the work being carried out by this team to complete all of the design and documentation necessary to take it to the construction contract phase. The design work that I saw at the offices last week demonstrated to me that South Australians have every reason to be excited about the redevelopment of Adelaide Oval.

Just to remind the members opposite, the new stadium will provide shade and protection from the elements to 77 per cent of seats that will be under cover. So 77 per cent of the seats will be under cover, which compares favourably with other stadia in Australia. That is greater than the MCG, where 75 per cent of seats are under cover. It is greater—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —than the SCG, where 68 per cent of seats are under cover; and it is a design that will protect the key heritage elements of the current oval. The northern mound will remain. The heritage scoreboard will be retained. The Moreton Bay fig trees will continue to provide shade for spectators on the mound, and views of St Peters Cathedral will be retained. The future and the heritage part of the project will perfectly complement each other in a spectacular setting, with world-class facilities.

Today we reach D-day for the Liberals and the Leader of the Opposition. They must tell the people of South Australia what they intend to do about Adelaide Oval. How will they vote?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Where do they stand? Do they support this development, or don't they? They said they were going to listen to the voice of SACA members, because they believed that they would not get the 75 per cent. So, suddenly, when they get 80 per cent plus, where do they go now? Where do they run? Where do they hide? Eventually you are going to have to come out and say where you stand. You also have to say what you mean and mean what you say, just for once. There is no more je ne sais quoi. There is no dodging or weaving.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: The public of South Australia have a right to know, and the time for your fence-sitting is over. This issue has become, of course, a cause célèbre for the Liberals, but I warn them now that the time for the leader—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order, member for MacKillop.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, it is question time; it is not time for the Premier to be giving warnings to anyone.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order in that one. Sit down, member for MacKillop. Premier.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: He got three votes for the deputy leadership and he does not even know whether he voted for himself! I know that I have quoted the former foreign minister Alexander Downer before, but I just want to remind those opposite again of his wise words, because it is time. If they won't listen to me, listen to John Howard.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. Member for Finniss.

Mr PENGILLY: Standing order 98. The Premier is clearly debating the issue.

The SPEAKER: It was a very broad question, so I can't uphold that point of order.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Alexander Downer, the longest serving foreign minister in the history of Australia, the grandson and great-grandson of premiers in this place and also immigration ministers and a high commissioner to London, your superstar from the Adelaide Hills, said this:

Whatever your preference, the election's over. Labor won and so the Adelaide Oval redevelopment it is. This is a project which transcends politics. It is a project which lays down a challenge to South Australians. Do we want to move forward or do we want to fester in the inertia of petty disputes?

So, Alexander Downer, John Howard, John Olsen, Rob Kerin, Christopher Pyne: why don't you listen to them? The time, you cannot—

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Jamie Briggs!

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. Member for Finniss, point of order.

Mr PENGILLY: Standing order 128, ma'am. The question was related to the stadium management, not a lot of waffle and God knows what else about Alexander Downer and his comments.

The SPEAKER: Sit down. I again point out it was a very broad question. I have looked at the question, and the Premier can answer it as he chooses. Are you finished? The Leader of the Opposition.

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