❓ Mr Murray questions the Minister for Sport and Recreation regarding Basketball WA's move to Mt Claremont, alleging broken agreements and increased costs. The Minister denies any broken promises and details the financial support provided to Basketball WA, including subsidised court hire.
AnsweredQoN 538Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BASKETBALL WA — MT CLAREMONT
BASKETBALL CENTRE
538. Mr M.P. MURRAY to the Minister for Sport and Recreation:
In respect of the move by Basketball
WA from Perry Lakes to Mt Claremont basketball centre and considering the
minister's $1.5 billion pledge to the Perth football stadium, I ask —
(1) Why has the
minister not honoured the agreement with Basketball WA that it will be no worse
off by moving from Perry Lakes to the new basketball centre at Mt Claremont?
(2) Can the
minister explain the removal of Basketball WA's revenue streams such as
catering, bar takings, function hire and sponsorship opportunities which
Basketball WA was formerly receiving at Perry Lakes?
(3) Why is the
minister placing basketball in WA in jeopardy by forcing a $100 000 per year
court hire increase through the government arm of VenuesWest?
BASKETBALL CENTRE
538. Mr M.P. MURRAY to the Minister for Sport and Recreation:
In respect of the move by Basketball
WA from Perry Lakes to Mt Claremont basketball centre and considering the
minister's $1.5 billion pledge to the Perth football stadium, I ask —
(1) Why has the
minister not honoured the agreement with Basketball WA that it will be no worse
off by moving from Perry Lakes to the new basketball centre at Mt Claremont?
(2) Can the
minister explain the removal of Basketball WA's revenue streams such as
catering, bar takings, function hire and sponsorship opportunities which
Basketball WA was formerly receiving at Perry Lakes?
(3) Why is the
minister placing basketball in WA in jeopardy by forcing a $100 000 per year
court hire increase through the government arm of VenuesWest?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I
thank the member for his question. First of all, I hear it said, but I am not
aware of any promise made, certainly not by me or this government, that
basketball would not be any worse off. In fact I do not think that is correct.
I will tell the member what has happened. Basketball moved from the old Perry
Lakes Stadium, which had served it well for many years, but it had had it; it
was obviously going to get knocked over. The state spent over $40 million
developing a new basketball centre, which is fantastic. When Basketball WA
moved in there, there was an agreed price of $8.06 per hour, which is very,
very cheap to get them in there and settled in. It had 11 516 court hours. That
price was never going to stay at $8.06. The rate that we charge our sports
through hiring facilities is that we try to get a 50 to 60 per cent cost
recovery.
Several members interjected.
Mr
T.K. WALDRON : Just wait a moment.
The SPEAKER : Thank
you, members!
Mr
T.K. WALDRON : We have flexibility in that to make sure —
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston! Other members may have an
interest in this. The only person I am interested in is the Minister for Sport
and Recreation, and then I will provide the opportunity for the member for
Collie–Preston to ask a supplementary question, if he so desires. I do
not need to hear from anybody else at this point.
Several members interjected.
Mr
T.K. WALDRON : When they started paying, they moved in. After a while
Basketball WA came to me and said it was having difficulties with the $8.06 an
hour. I looked at it. I heard its side of the story. I looked at it from
VenuesWest's side. There was a difference there. I asked to get an
audit and let them operate for 12 months; I let it go for 18 months. I let them
operate at $8.06 for an extra 18 months, which is well below the amount. The
audit was disappointing, because the audit did not really show what I wanted it
to show—that is, it did not actually show their ability to pay that or
their ability to pay more.
Several members interjected.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I
will answer. If you just listen, I will tell you what is going on.
I met with Basketball WA again. I have to say that the former
minister, Bob Kucera, was very good in negotiations. We negotiated the price of
$13.80. Remember that everyone else out there is paying over $30. The price
should have gone to around $17.80. I made a decision, which is a cost to
government, to bring the cost back to $13.80. So they have been operating at
$13.80 an hour since 1 July this year. They then have talked through
negotiations with us saying they are having difficulties with it still. I have
just spoken with Basketball WA on Friday. I have presented them with a revised
position, which I think is extremely generous and should give them comfort going
forward. I do not want to expose it because it is with them for the moment.
Basketball WA seemed happy to me when I spoke to the president. It will come
back to me in the next couple of days.
I think we have done the right thing and we have covered
those issues that Basketball WA had. I have also asked the Department of Sport and Recreation to work with
Basketball Western Australia over the next nearly two years—Basketball
WA has what I have offered it, which is very generous—to see its
ability to pay and service its development, which concerned me. Of course, this
comes at a cost to the government and the offer I made to Basketball WA has
come at another cost to the government. However, I recognise the importance of
basketball and we have made
moves to try to get a good
result here, which I think we have.
thank the member for his question. First of all, I hear it said, but I am not
aware of any promise made, certainly not by me or this government, that
basketball would not be any worse off. In fact I do not think that is correct.
I will tell the member what has happened. Basketball moved from the old Perry
Lakes Stadium, which had served it well for many years, but it had had it; it
was obviously going to get knocked over. The state spent over $40 million
developing a new basketball centre, which is fantastic. When Basketball WA
moved in there, there was an agreed price of $8.06 per hour, which is very,
very cheap to get them in there and settled in. It had 11 516 court hours. That
price was never going to stay at $8.06. The rate that we charge our sports
through hiring facilities is that we try to get a 50 to 60 per cent cost
recovery.
Several members interjected.
Mr
T.K. WALDRON : Just wait a moment.
The SPEAKER : Thank
you, members!
Mr
T.K. WALDRON : We have flexibility in that to make sure —
Mr
M.P. Murray interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Collie–Preston! Other members may have an
interest in this. The only person I am interested in is the Minister for Sport
and Recreation, and then I will provide the opportunity for the member for
Collie–Preston to ask a supplementary question, if he so desires. I do
not need to hear from anybody else at this point.
Several members interjected.
Mr
T.K. WALDRON : When they started paying, they moved in. After a while
Basketball WA came to me and said it was having difficulties with the $8.06 an
hour. I looked at it. I heard its side of the story. I looked at it from
VenuesWest's side. There was a difference there. I asked to get an
audit and let them operate for 12 months; I let it go for 18 months. I let them
operate at $8.06 for an extra 18 months, which is well below the amount. The
audit was disappointing, because the audit did not really show what I wanted it
to show—that is, it did not actually show their ability to pay that or
their ability to pay more.
Several members interjected.
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I
will answer. If you just listen, I will tell you what is going on.
I met with Basketball WA again. I have to say that the former
minister, Bob Kucera, was very good in negotiations. We negotiated the price of
$13.80. Remember that everyone else out there is paying over $30. The price
should have gone to around $17.80. I made a decision, which is a cost to
government, to bring the cost back to $13.80. So they have been operating at
$13.80 an hour since 1 July this year. They then have talked through
negotiations with us saying they are having difficulties with it still. I have
just spoken with Basketball WA on Friday. I have presented them with a revised
position, which I think is extremely generous and should give them comfort going
forward. I do not want to expose it because it is with them for the moment.
Basketball WA seemed happy to me when I spoke to the president. It will come
back to me in the next couple of days.
I think we have done the right thing and we have covered
those issues that Basketball WA had. I have also asked the Department of Sport and Recreation to work with
Basketball Western Australia over the next nearly two years—Basketball
WA has what I have offered it, which is very generous—to see its
ability to pay and service its development, which concerned me. Of course, this
comes at a cost to the government and the offer I made to Basketball WA has
come at another cost to the government. However, I recognise the importance of
basketball and we have made
moves to try to get a good
result here, which I think we have.
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