This was PASSED by the LA 18/10/2023. Introduced to the LC 19/10/2023
CENTENNIAL PARK AND MOORE PARK TRUST AMENDMENT (CAR PARKING) BILL 2023
First Reading
Bill introduced on motion by Mr Paul Scully, read a first time and printed.
Second Reading Speech
Mr PAUL SCULLY (Wollongong—Minister for Planning and Public Spaces) (17:36): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
The Government is pleased to introduce the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Amendment (Car Parking) Bill 2023. The bill seeks to amend section 20AA of the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Act 1983, which establishes deadlines for the closure of on-grass car parking at Moore Park East. On-grass parking has been a feature of major events at the Sydney Cricket Ground [SCG] precinct for over a century. However, driving is only one way people access the Moore Park precinct. As alternative options such as light rail and integrated ticketing have been introduced, on-grass parking has been progressively closed, and amendments to the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Act in 2022 finalised that process.
Some 650 spaces have already been removed from the grass opposite Allianz Stadium on the corner of Moore Park Road and Anzac Parade, known as Upper Kippax. The bill does not seek to restore parking on the grass at Upper Kippax. It will remain closed. The next 350 spaces opposite Allianz Stadium, known as Lower Kippax, are slated to be removed on 31 December 2023, as per section 20AA of the Act. Lastly, 950 spaces opposite the SCG, known as Showground Field, will be closed from 31 December 2025. Based on the best available information at the time, those deadlines were legislated without alternative parking arrangements being in place. Unfortunately, that has created a shortfall of spaces.
A shortage of parking will disproportionately affect residents who, despite the public transport improvements in the area, will still need to drive to attend events at the SCG and Allianz Stadium, particularly families, patrons with mobility issues, or those from areas where public transport is not readily available. With that said, the Government is not advocating for the long-term continuation of on-grass parking, and I am pleased that Venues NSW and the Greater Sydney Parklands are working together to ultimately return the grass to the community. Venues NSW is constructing a multi‑level car park project on its land at Allianz Stadium that will, once operational, provide 1,500 parking spaces and offset the closure of the on-grass car parks at Upper Kippax and Lower Kippax. [Quorum called for.]
[The bells having been rung and a quorum having formed, business resumed.]
While construction has commenced, the new car park will not be available until the end of 2025, all going well, as Venues NSW delivers it around a busy event schedule. This is two years after the currently legislated closure of on-grass parking at Lower Kippax. Keeping on-grass parking at Lower Kippax until the new multi‑level car park is open is critical to ensure that patrons can attend sporting and entertainment events at Allianz Stadium and the SCG. There is no solution yet for the 950 spaces at Showground Field, so we are giving Venues NSW and the Greater Sydney Parklands more time to ensure an alternative is in place that can cater for those who need to drive and park at the grounds.
The Government has also directed Transport for NSW to develop a transport plan for the Moore Park precinct. Randwick Racecourse has the space and has been trialled, but so far fans have not been interested. There have been a number of issues to address, such as events at Randwick Racecourse being scheduled concurrently with the SCG and Allianz Stadium, and light rail capacity. Irrespective, Randwick Racecourse could provide a potential future option to supplement parking for events in the Moore Park Precinct in future, and Venues NSW and the Greater Sydney Parklands will work with Transport for NSW and other stakeholders on this and other parking options into the future.
Ultimately, we have not solved the problem of replacing the 950 spaces at Showground Field, so the current deadline must be changed to give Venues NSW, the Greater Sydney Parklands and other stakeholders time to find a solution. In the end, there will be a solution that resolves the issue to everyone's satisfaction, but at the moment we just need more time and this amendment gives us that. Travel to and from Moore Park for major events is complex. The new Allianz Stadium is bringing more people to the precinct than ever before. The light rail has been a great addition to the public transport mix, but there will still be those who have to drive, and those people need equitable access to these public venues as much as anyone else.
Integrated ticketing has also improved travel to and from the precinct, and I am encouraged that Venues NSW, the Greater Sydney Parklands and Transport for NSW will continue to work together to increase take‑up of this service among patrons. The bill amends section 20AA to amend two deadlines and allows the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces to make a regulation to close on-grass parking at a future time. When the grass is returned to the community, there will be suitable alternatives for fans to get to and from the precinct. The bill will replace the current dates for the closure of on-grass parking and allow the Minister to prescribe a date in future.
The bill sets out conditions for when the parking can be closed. For Lower Kippax, it will be closed when "a new car park has been built on Venues NSW land adjacent to the Sydney Football Stadium and is open to the public and operational." Parking in the south of Moore Park East will be closed if the Minister is satisfied that "on‑grass parking is no longer required to meet the demand for parking for events at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium". Ultimately, the bill is about ensuring all sports fans from across New South Wales can attend events in the Moore Park precinct and that parking on the grass ultimately ends. In particular, it will ensure that those who have no alternative to driving can continue to access the precinct by parking on the grass in Moore Park for a little while longer while alternatives are put in place. I commend the bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
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