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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-09-20 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE OVAL

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart) (14:28): My question is to the Minister for Recreation and Sport. Will the minister confirm that only 16 years after the Adelaide Oval is upgraded it will again be 'outdated and in need of upgrade'? If so, why will around $600 million of taxpayers' money be spent on this option? A briefing by Rod Hook to the Premier, obtained by the opposition under FOI, states:

By 2030 all of South Australia's current sporting venues will be outdated and in need of upgrade. This may include the redeveloped Adelaide Oval, which will then be 16 years old.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:29): I note that immediately I stand up the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, who takes so many points of order, howls interjections. I just ask, if he is a stickler for the standing orders, that he might allow me to speak without interruption. It is a serious question from a serious member of the opposition.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

An honourable member: A contender.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: A genuine contender.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister for mines, order!

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister for mines, order! Stop provoking them.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I must correct one part of the question where he refers to $600 million. The construction contract on Adelaide Oval from memory is some $450 million. In fact, the initial—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It is amazing what pieces of information set them off, isn't it? In fact, the initial contract is let for less than that. There is some remaining money.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I am trying to answer a question from a serious—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my left, you have asked a question, the minister has asked if he can have some quiet to answer it, please do so.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: What we do know is that all members on the other side other than I must say the person absent, the very interesting person now absent in Lebanon, were serious critics of this proposal. That remains their position, it is sad that it remains their position, and the truth is, given the presentations—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: the minister has been going for a minute and a half and he has not got near to answering the question.

The SPEAKER: Well I'm surprised that the minister has been able to talk over the noise. I would ask you to keep quiet on the left. The minister will go back to the substance of the question which he has been answering.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I am entirely on the substance of the question, Madam Speaker, our new Adelaide Oval. I have had a presentation; the oval involves, can I say, as good as is done anywhere in the world the latest BIM (best in modelling) program, with the people working on the oval working on a three-dimensional computer projection all at once, so that what you see on the computer project is actually what you get, not artists impressions as we got in the past. It has cut months out of the job, cut expense out of the job, and I assure this house that what we will see is the finest sports stadium of its size in Australia, and I will be very surprised—

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: What is your point of order, member for Stuart?

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Standing order 98: the minister is not going anywhere near the substance of the question which was 'Please confirm that only 16 years after the oval is upgraded, it will again be out of date.'

The SPEAKER: I don't think you can make that proposition, member for Stuart. I don't think there is any point of order there. This is entirely relevant to the question.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I would have thought the question about the standard of the oval and whether it needs to be upgraded in 16 years, and the quality that they are building is absolutely relevant, and I assure people that what they will get is the finest sports stadium in Australia. It will have better seating than any sports stadium in Australia, it will have more capacity for food and beverage than any other sports stadium in Australia, it will have a piece of decking behind the northern end of the ground which will be the most popular place at the oval, and it will be one of the best places to watch cricket and football in Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Oh, the member for Norwood is confused again, well I'm afraid that is not my fault. What I would say to those on the other side, if they suggested this stadium is outdated in 16 years, then what about every other stadium in Australia that will not be as good as this, and will not offer to people there as much amenity as this oval does?

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Member for Stuart, point of order.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Standing order 98: clearly debate, the question was not about any other stadium, it was about the Adelaide Oval.

The SPEAKER: Member for Stuart, you can sit down. I don't think you understand that standing order. If it is relevant to the question, the minister can answer any way he chooses. It is not debate.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The annoying thing about this question, and it is driven by the hostility of these people to South Australia having a world-class stadium—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: —is that they don't tell you what the brief was about. The brief was about the capacity for a Commonwealth Games. If there is a Commonwealth Games bid and if it is won, there may well need to be additional capacity. When we talked about the World Cup in soccer being a potential, there were aspects that had to be built for that, including warm-up areas and surrounding areas that you don't need for a cricket and football stadium.

So, to say it would need to be upgraded without mentioning that the whole question was about the Commonwealth Games is the sort of trickiness that we expect, and we certainly expect better from the member for Stuart. He normally doesn't engage in such things and I'm sure he has been put up to it by someone else.

The truth is that I invite the opposition to take a briefing from those who are building the oval because they take great pride in what they do—and justifiably. It will be the finest sports stadium in Australia. We already have the world's best cricket ground. It will be the finest sports stadium in Australia. It will be the finest amenity for punters, and it will be around and enjoyed long after those on the other side are consigned to the rubbish bin of history.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Yes, the member's time has expired. I can see that now, thank you.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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