Abbott promises $10m for Brookie
20 Aug 10 @ 04:28pm by PETER BODKIN
THE FUTURE of Brookvale Oval will again hinge on the outcome of the Federal Election after Opposition Leader Tony Abbott announced yesterday he would provide $10 million in funding to upgrade the ground if the Coalition secured government.
In a last-minute election pledge, Mr Abbott matched commitments made before the Coalitions poll defeat in 2007.
If there is a Coalition government returned after tomorrow, we will provide the $10 million toward Brookie Oval that we promised at the previous election, he said.
Mr Abbott donned a Sea Eagles Abbott number one jersey over his shirt and tie for the announcement, which he made surrounded by Manly players and officials, admitting funding for the oval was long overdue. The fact is that Brookie Oval is the only major NRL ground that hasnt received any serious funding from state and federal governments over the last decade, he said.
All we are doing by providing this $10 million is providing the catch-up money which should have been provided a long time ago.
Several leading Sea Eagles indentities launched calls last week for Mr Abbott, the Member for Warringah, to beat his previous election commitment.
They called for him to provide $30 million to finance much-needed major works at Brookvale Oval, which would include the construction of a new grandstand.
They claimed the ground had been consistently overlooked for federal funding because Warringah was not a marginal seat.
Nearly $50 million in federal funds have been spent on six NRL grounds in NSW since 2004, but Brookvale Oval has received only $1 million for a lighting upgrade over the same period.
The NSW Labor Government has contributed $6 million and Warringah Council $4 million as part of a package to renovate dressingrooms, seating and corporate facilities at the oval.
Labor this week refused any commitment to upgrade Brookvale Oval, although Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese said funding could be applied for in the next round of community infrastructure spending.
``Ten million dollars is a wonderful gesture on the last day of the campaign trail. It gives us a total of $16.6 million to work with. If elected, well be able to have a ground that is somewhere in keeping with the rest of the grounds in the NRL in a couple of years, Sea Eagles CEO Graham Lowe said.
