02 May 2011 in Media
I am a SACA member and have already voted no against this proposal because the ‘deal’ is a shocker for South Australia.
This ‘deal’ that is being put to SACA members is based on an unsubstantiated claim that it is somehow important for the future of South Australia. Rubbish. The truth is that the AFL is the only winner from this deal.
The Melbourne based AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou has been lecturing South Australians on why we should spend $535 million of borrowed taxpayers’ money on his business. Mr Demetriou even had the gall to claim that this deal is not about football but rather the future of South Australia. Gee Andrew, I didn’t know you cared!
The truth is he doesn’t. Make no mistake, the uber cashed up AFL is being handed a new stadium and barely spending loose change to get it. Mr Demetriou cannot believe his luck.
The simple truth is that even if this was a good deal, South Australia simply can’t afford it right now. This project will cost at least $535 million of your money, money that State Labor does not have. State Labor will have to borrow to build this new stadium and we all know how that story ends.
If you can’t afford to run the Keith hospital, you can’t afford to build a new stadium.
If the vote tonight is successful, it will change the Adelaide Oval forever. It will become a second rate concrete colosseum that will destroy the unique nature of the Adelaide Oval and, worse still, it will hand control of our great oval to the elite of the AFL in Melbourne.
I love AFL as much as anyone, but I’m not prepared to risk one of our State’s greatest icons, just to try and be a mini-Melbourne.