May 13

RAW: Adelaide Oval – How We Are Going To Pay For The Folly Of The Elites

The sporting elites of Adelaide may well reflect on the prices now being paid for the Adelaide Oval redevelopment, all announced since the vote last Monday week. No doubt the list will grow:

  • Timber forests being sold off with 5,000 jobs in the South East threatened as processing goes off-shore.
  • Electricity bills in Cooper Pedy up 100% as tariff concessions get dropped.
  • Base water bills up 50% this coming year and another 50% next year.
  • New RAH now to cost at least $1b more up front with an ongoing tail payment of $360m a year just to open the doors
  • The Adelaide casino is stalling on its planned expansion, describing it as just one option. That may mean the footbridge to its door may not get built.
  • The Keith Hospital’s future now rests with donations.

All this on top of the shock surprise of a $600m shortfall in GST revenue over four years!

Closer to the hearts of the sporting elitists, we now know:

  • The great Michelangelo Rucci has confessed Adelaide Oval is not going to save the Crows and Power from going further backwards on and off the field
  • The romantic notion of wandering down after work on a Friday night to watch the football will be restricted to a mere two, may be three nights a year
  • AFL to contribute at most $5m – less than 1% of the current cost and around 0.3% of their $1.25b media rights deal – with games on Foxtel now to be shown against the gate.
  • And finally, the big doozer, this morning’s Advertiser confirms what we last wrote on the topic that ‘pre-season games [are] predicted before that year’s [2014] election.’ Students of the SACA Information Booklet will recall this being written ‘The State Government will grant to .. SACA .. to unrestrictedly and exclusively use Adelaide Oval for cricket during [its] season subject only to to the right of the State Government to stage international events.’ The Cricket season does not end until 15th March. The election is on March 14!

Still there are no seats to be lost in Mt Gambier or Cooper Pedy and the good news for the elites is that their excess water blls will only go up by 10%.

Next stop – the State budget.

Peter

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