Magazine - Adelaide Oval Farce

By Editor in General News on 29th May 2010 12:20

Was there ever a more deceptive, incompetent and shabby political exercise in post-State Bank South Australian history than the farce the upgrade of Adelaide Oval has become?

As reported on Nine News this week, factional colleague Mick Atkinson led the charge in this week’s caucus meeting, arguing forcefully against Labor reneging on its pre-election commitment that “not a penny more” (and, in fact, quite a few pennies less) than $450 million of public money would go towards bringing football to the city.

Atko apparently finally relented to let Kev spend another $85 million – on condition the cost didn’t escalate any further – but the near-revolt suggests Labor MPs are growing weary of explaining cost blowouts on major projects. This is, after all, only months after an election campaign was fought, and almost lost, on a question of trust. And, let’s be honest, gifting nearly $100 million to the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA), one of the state’s most elitist and exclusive clubs, is hardly up there in the public service stakes with opening up the northern suburbs trade corridor.

So, given the Labor Left pretty much thought this whole project was a disgrace to begin with, a cost blowout was hardly the best news the Treasurer could have brought to his party-room colleagues this week.

And the looming international event that predicated the whole city-stadium debate – a potential Australian soccer World Cup – is apparently neither here nor there. Certainly, the body set up to oversee the upgrade, the Stadium Management Authority (SMA), clearly couldn’t care less whether or not Adelaide Oval is FIFA compliant. In other words, such a requirement was never part of its brief.

The SMA’s head honchos, South Australian National Football League (SANFL) chief Leigh Whicker and SACA president Ian McLachlan, looked distinctly uncomfortable sharing the limelight at their media conference on Tuesday. The body language was icy, as well it might be. After all, the cricket and footy codes have been at odds for decades. An exasperated Kevin Foley conceded this week he might go through this entire fiasco and still be unable to broker a deal between them. He likened the effort to attempting to negotiate a Middle East peace accord.


The Adelaide Oval may have saved the Rann Government in March, but it could yet be the end of Kevin Foley.

Source & More: www.independentweekly.com.au

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