❓ Mr. Watson questions the Premier about discussions with AFL clubs regarding stadium membership allocations. The Premier defends the government's decision to allocate general admission seats despite club preferences and highlights the stadium's progress and funding.
AnsweredQoN 479Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PERTH STADIUM — STADIUM MEMBERSHIP
479. Mr P.B. WATSON to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question,
since the Premier did not answer any of my other questions. Has there been any
discussion with the AFL clubs regarding the stadium membership that the Premier
announced, and what are their views?
479. Mr P.B. WATSON to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question,
since the Premier did not answer any of my other questions. Has there been any
discussion with the AFL clubs regarding the stadium membership that the Premier
announced, and what are their views?
AnswerView source ↗
If the member is talking about the West Coast Eagles and the
Fremantle Dockers, they would like every seat, including general admission,
allocated to the clubs. That will not happen. I have made it very clear to
those clubs that there will be general admission of around 10 000 seats. The
Eagles and Dockers want to control every seat. That will not happen because the
taxpayers of Western Australia have funded this stadium and they have a right
to get a seat whether they are members of the Eagles or the Dockers. The Eagles
and the Dockers have accepted that.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The stadium membership seats, as I said, will cost nothing
like the $3 000 to $5 000 the member was talking about. That is yet to be
finalised.
Mr
M. McGowan : How much then?
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : I am meeting with Gillon McLachlan next week and all those
issues will be sorted out progressively. For anyone who has followed the
stadium issue, they might recall that the former Minister for Sport and
Recreation, the current Minister for Sport and Recreation and I insisted that
the first and major issue is to get the contracts to construct the stadium, the
transport infrastructure and the like. That is all settled. The stadium is 15 per
cent completed. By the end of September it will be 25 per cent completed. In
all probability it will be well ahead of schedule and probably available for
the latter part of the 2017 season. What did the AFL contribute to the stadium?
It contributed zero dollars.
Mr
M. McGowan : It should have.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : It may well have, but it has not.
Several members interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : What has the commonwealth government contributed?
Mr
P.B. Watson : It's all your doing.
The SPEAKER : Premier, I want
a very short, succinct ending to this, thank you.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : You are an embarrassment, Albany—an embarrassment.
The
SPEAKER : Okay; thank you.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The stadium is well into construction. The operator process
is out for tender; we are in discussions with the AFL. I hope it will make some
contribution and I hope the commonwealth will make a contribution in its next
budget. Regardless of all that, the Liberal–National government is
building the best stadium in Australia on time and on budget—in fact,
ahead of time.
Fremantle Dockers, they would like every seat, including general admission,
allocated to the clubs. That will not happen. I have made it very clear to
those clubs that there will be general admission of around 10 000 seats. The
Eagles and Dockers want to control every seat. That will not happen because the
taxpayers of Western Australia have funded this stadium and they have a right
to get a seat whether they are members of the Eagles or the Dockers. The Eagles
and the Dockers have accepted that.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The stadium membership seats, as I said, will cost nothing
like the $3 000 to $5 000 the member was talking about. That is yet to be
finalised.
Mr
M. McGowan : How much then?
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : I am meeting with Gillon McLachlan next week and all those
issues will be sorted out progressively. For anyone who has followed the
stadium issue, they might recall that the former Minister for Sport and
Recreation, the current Minister for Sport and Recreation and I insisted that
the first and major issue is to get the contracts to construct the stadium, the
transport infrastructure and the like. That is all settled. The stadium is 15 per
cent completed. By the end of September it will be 25 per cent completed. In
all probability it will be well ahead of schedule and probably available for
the latter part of the 2017 season. What did the AFL contribute to the stadium?
It contributed zero dollars.
Mr
M. McGowan : It should have.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : It may well have, but it has not.
Several members interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : What has the commonwealth government contributed?
Mr
P.B. Watson : It's all your doing.
The SPEAKER : Premier, I want
a very short, succinct ending to this, thank you.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : You are an embarrassment, Albany—an embarrassment.
The
SPEAKER : Okay; thank you.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The stadium is well into construction. The operator process
is out for tender; we are in discussions with the AFL. I hope it will make some
contribution and I hope the commonwealth will make a contribution in its next
budget. Regardless of all that, the Liberal–National government is
building the best stadium in Australia on time and on budget—in fact,
ahead of time.
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