Magazine - Oval Upgrade Hangs on World Cup Bid

By Editor in General News on 17th May 2010 6:00

A final design for Adelaide Oval's planned upgrade will not be known until the end of the year at the earliest.

The South Australian Government has revealed it is expecting a bigger federal cash injection but only if Australia wins the FIFA World Cup rights. Opposition frontbencher Iain Evans says there are plenty of questions over the Oval upgrade's price tag.

"This Treasurer can't even tell us the precinct. Can't tell us the cost, can't tell us the design, can't tell us when the negotiations are going to finish. But don't worry South Australia, the Government's position is clear," he said in Parliament.

Kevin Foley says that is because behind closed doors the Commonwealth is promising a much bigger contribution than first thought. The extra money is contingent on a successful World Cup bid.

That outcome will not be known until November, well after the June 30 deadline by which football and cricket authorities must agree on the Oval upgrade project.

The stadium funding issue has caught the eye of four crossbench MPs from the Upper House who are threatening to withdraw support from government bills unless social services are quarantined from state budget cuts.

Source & More: www.abc.net.au

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