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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-04-01 Daily Xml
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Women's World Cup

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:28): My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer indicate whether the government's decision to upgrade Hindmarsh Stadium was a factor in the FIFA announcement today that Adelaide would be one of the host venues for the Women's World Cup?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:28): It is a very exciting day for those of us in South Australia who are interested in sport and interested in women's sport in particular. The world game, or the beautiful game, as some would describe it—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! You are wasting your own time here. The Treasurer will continue.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: As I said, it is indeed a very exciting time, because it was this government—

The Hon. J.E. Hanson interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hanson is out of order.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —that committed the funding—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: And the leader.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —to a significant upgrade of Hindmarsh Stadium—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —and it was only the commitment by this government to a significant upgrade in the state sport infrastructure plan—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —together with the other commitments that this government has given—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Sit down, please, Treasurer. If the opposition don't cease interjecting, they will lose their next question. The Treasurer will continue, and continue in silence.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: This government, in the state sport infrastructure plan, committed $45 million to a significant upgrade of Hindmarsh—

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: How much?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: $45 million—a massive amount of money—and added to that an additional $8 million from the—

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Bourke, you can't help yourself.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —Adelaide Venue Management Corporation, which significantly upgrades the facilities at Hindmarsh Stadium. There are a lot of naysayers over the last two years who have talked down the capacity of Hindmarsh Stadium (Coopers Stadium)—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: One of them was you.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. E.S. Bourke: You are the naysayers.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —to be a suitable venue for the Women's World Cup. An article written last year by Val Migliaccio was headed 'Hindmarsh Stadium a danger to winning women's World Cup matches for SA'. An article by my very good friend, Michael McGuire, in the Adelaide Advertiser in July of last year, stated, 'Hindmarsh Stadium is not good enough to host World Cup.' Again, he doubled down, 'Liberals' proposed Adelaide arena is too small, needs to include soccer.' In that article he said:

Spending $45 million on Hindmarsh won't fix its fundamental flaws. Its size, its location, the majority of its facilities. It will still leave two stands uncovered. It's a Band-Aid on a heart attack.

It is also possible the inadequacy of Hindmarsh will still cost South Australia games at the 2023 Women's World Cup.

There are other naysayers, both in the Labor Party and in the sporting community and the media, who said that Hindmarsh Stadium, with this significant investment from the South Australian taxpayers, would not be suitable for the Women's World Cup.

Well, the announcement by FIFA today that Adelaide will be one of the host venues for the Women's World Cup is testimony to the approach the South Australian government has adopted. We did have the option of the whizzbang $1.3 billion stadium in the city with a soccer pitch on the top that could be lowered and taken to the roof as required, which wouldn't have been built in time anyway, even if you had the money or could afford it, for the Women's World Cup in 2023, or strategic investment of $45 million as part of the $200 million state sport infrastructure plan, which was providing additional corporate facilities, toilet facilities, food and beverage facilities, media facilities, a new pitch for the Hindmarsh Stadium (Coopers Stadium), lighting, advertising, and a whole variety of additional improvements to that particular venue—a magnificent venue, I might say.

I am a huge supporter, unlike some, of the suitability of Hindmarsh (Coopers Stadium) as a venue for soccer. It is appropriately located. It is on a tram route, which makes it accessible to the large majority of South Australians. There are many, many people who have visited many more soccer stadia all over the world through Europe and England who say that night-time Hindmarsh (Coopers Stadium) reminds them of their suburban ovals, or the ovals in their cities, across Europe, and across the UK in particular.

I think it's a fabulous venue for soccer, and certainly for the taxpayers of South Australia an investment of $45 million, which assists us in helping to get the Women's World Cup games, as opposed to the pipedream of a $1.3 billion stadium with a soccer pitch on the roof that could be lowered or raised as required, is suitable when we are trying to fund a Women's and Children's Hospital and a variety of other options in terms of much-needed social infrastructure in our state.

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