Not satisfied with outrageous stadiums largesse, now NSW Government wants to offer $40m to NRL clubs
Hold on to your hats, sports fans, this is getting more outrageous by the day. You will be aware, I know, that there is an issue at the moment over whether or not it is a good idea for the State Government to go through with its plans to knock over three relatively new Stadiums – at Parramatta, Homebush and Moore Park – and rebuild them at a cost of $2.5 billion.
The pro-bulldozer mob have on their side all of Alan Jones, the wider SCG Trust, Venues NSW, most of News Limited and most importantly the controlling half of the NSW Government. The other half think, to use the words of one: "It's the dumbest f--king idea I've ever heard. It screams largesse and the public won't buy it."
He got that right.
For while on the side of sanity, there is no such list of powerful names and institutions, there is one very powerful entity that is extremely engaged. And that is ... the people of NSW. No exaggeration, I have never seen anything remotely like it.
The petition I started against it, now has just under 150K signatories.
The petition started, in response, for the stadium upgrade – which has been widely publicised – has just over 150 signatures. Yes, that's right.
Those against it VS
those for it, really is about a thousand to one!
And while I have respectfully asked Premier Gladys Berejiklian three times now, to justify her claim that the $2 billion outlay will be made back in two years, as yet there is only radio silence ... and the rather unpleasant guffawing of economists who point out that with that kind of a return, private equity would be rushing to finance it, and there would be no need to call on the public purse. And even the government's own figures do them down, as originally revealed by my colleague Jacob Saulwick, concerning the insanity of the SFS project alone, which noted the advice of Infrastructure NSW that there would be "
no economic benefit to the state of NSW ..."
But still, we have not come to the most stunning development of the last two days. For in the middle of all this – which has included Sydney City Council, followed by Randwick and Waverly Council, passing strong motions against the stadium rebuild – we have it on the authority of Channel Nine's state political reporter, Chris O'Keefe, that the NSW Government is about to make another announcement concerning their sporting largesse, concerning an allocation of $40 million to sport.
Who to?
Well, specifically, that $40 million is going to NRL clubs, to refurbish their gyms, and expand their facilities!
O'Keefe reports that the $40 million is "expected to be handed over to six clubs ... to help clubs build 'Centres of Excellence' . . . It is expected South Sydney will be handed money to build at Heffron Park in Maroubra, Canterbury Bulldogs at Belmore, Sydney Roosters at Moore Park, Cronulla at Shark Park and Newcastle Knights at Hunter Stadium."
I have no clue why I appear to be close to a lone voice on this, but let me say it loud and proud, regardless.
Friends, this is a DISGRACE.
To make a statement of the bleeding bloody obvious, the NSW Government has no business handing out taxpayer funds to elite sporting BUSINESESS, that make their own money already – the NRL itself is a billion dollar business – at a time when community sport is crying out for resources!
And yes of course the government is dressing up their largesse with the plan that the new centres of excellence will also be open to local communities.
No, really! You'll wander along, and right next to you, as you do the leg press, Greg Inglis will be doing bench presses! In the manner of classic trickle-down economics – let us spend billions knocking down and rebuilding elite stadiums, and the wealth will trickle all the way down to struggle street – this has it, that by putting this money into NRL clubs, the poorer people will benefit, too.
Who is going to stop this madness?
Instead of yet more trickle-down nonsense, if this money is earmarked for sport, why not put it directly to where it is most needed? Instead of putting that money in the middle of money-making operations that are already well resourced, why not put it to one of the "674 priority community sport projects" recently identified by the NSW Office of Sport, which are CRYING OUT for funds?
Netball courts! Tennis courts! Basketball courts! Green fields! Velodromes! Skateboard rinks!
Just how obvious is it that if the NSW Government has a spare $40 million to give to sport, these are the kind of projects that need it, NOT elite sport? I have told the story before, of how at Northern Suburbs Basketball Association, a couple of decades ago, we were able to raise, with the help of North Sydney Council, and a little from the NSW Government, $3 million to build the Crows Nest Sports Centre with four basketball courts, that can also be used for netball and many other community activities – that go from 6 am to 10.45 pm. It is a fantastic resource, totally self-sustaining as it is now funded by our 5500 members, of all ages, from 5 years old to 85 years-old. As well resourced as it is, it now has a long waiting list.
Why can't that be the model for community sport across the state?
But $40 million of taxpayers' money so that rugby league clubs can upgrade to having "Centres of Excellence?" It is madness and electoral suicide – and more and more in the NSW Government know it. Let us see if sanity might prevail sometime between now and next Tuesday, when the Premier is set to announce the $40 million hand-out.
And let us see if she will still maintain the demonstrable nonsense of the $2 billion being paid back in two years.
Who stops this madness gets to be Premier – and if it is Ms Berejklian herself, all good!
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...o-offer-40m-to-nrl-clubs-20171213-h046tb.html
