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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-04-05 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE OVAL

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee) (15:05): Can the Premier inform the house about the progress of the redevelopment of Adelaide Oval and how it relates to other government initiatives focused on revitalising the state?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (15:06): I thank the honourable member for his question and I note his keen interest in matters of sport. I think he will be very proud when he sits in that stadium, at that first match in 2014, watching a couple of great teams coming out onto the ground.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I am sure those opposite will all be there. They will accept their tickets and come along and celebrate it all with us.

Today, the Prime Minister and I attended the ceremony at Adelaide Oval marking the beginning of major work of the Oval's redevelopment. It was a joyous occasion. We were joined by some students from Black Forest Primary School and the Grange Cricket Club, who contributed to a time capsule which will be buried in the Oval to commemorate the occasion.

Once completed, the Oval will boast 77 per cent of seats under cover, 2,000 dining spaces with food and beverage outlets no further than 40 metres from any seat, multiple replay screens and 10-metre wide concourses. At the same time, we are retaining those beautiful parks at the Adelaide Oval that people love: the hill, the fantastic view of the cathedral from the ground, the Victor Richardson Gates and, of course, that magnificent 100-year old scoreboard.

The redevelopment of the Adelaide Oval is a central component of the government's plan to deliver a first-class precinct at the Riverbank. Imagine a crowd of 50,000 at a Showdown, with people moving across the footbridge back into that part of the city, bringing to life that beautiful city precinct. When the Oval hosts AFL in 2014, I think we will see an enormous boost to the city in terms of the local eateries, pubs and all the other enterprises along there, and I am sure we will see many more enterprises grow up and exist along that area.

The redevelopment of the Adelaide Oval is fundamentally about a new optimism for our state. We have seen a whole lot of sacred cows being slain in this state. We have got away from a Dickensian mental health facility and we now have a hospital which will be a 21st century hospital. Who would believe it: we now have an expressway that goes both ways, we have an airport where you can come in from the plane and not get rained on and, now, finally, a world-class stadium—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —which is fantastic. And who would forget shop trading hours and trading on public holidays in the city?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: And, in probably the most dramatic example of the lion lying down with the lamb, the Adelaide City Council is combining with the state government to give us a world-class city planning system. All these things reflect the growing confidence in our state's future and we would like those opposite to join in and celebrate with us.

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