The Greens have warned the Government is going against the tide of community opinion by pushing ahead with a $2 billion rebuild of stadiums, rather than investing in essential public services for the people of NSW.
ABC has reported scathing comments made anonymously by Liberal/National MPs about the plan, including [1]:
“It’s a f***ing disgrace”;
“It’s political poison”; and
“This will kill us”.
A petition started by Peter Fitzsimons has gathered more than 62,000 signatures in less than 48 hours.
Justin Field, Greens spokesperson on Sport and Finance, said Premier Gladys Berejiklian should listen to the umpire of community opinion and her own MPs and drop the wasteful stadium rebuild plan.
“The Premier has misread the public mood if she thinks splurging billions on big sports stadiums is what the people of NSW want,” he said.
“The NSW community love their sport, but they are right to question whether $2 billion for new stadiums is money well spent and whether the highly profitable big corporate sports and event promoters using these venues are paying their fair share.
“People are struggling to afford tickets to major events because of escalating housing and electricity costs. I’m sure they would prefer to see the Government working to make housing and clean energy more affordable rather than spending billions on rebuilding sports stadiums.
“If any level of sport needs Government investment it is local and community sports facilities where the majority of the sport in this state is played and which contribute to a healthy and active community,” he said.
