All options on the table – Langoulant

The state government-appointed Major Stadia Taskforce will meet with Western Australian sporting stakeholders this Friday to discuss their individual venue needs and the sensitive issue of governance.

Taskforce chair John Langoulant said the session was a chance to discuss issues arising from the potential development of a multi-purpose stadium, a dedicated rectangular venue, as well as identifying the best uses for the WACA.

“We’ll be talking to them about the question of building a major stadium and a dedicated rectangular venue, or if the WACA is going to stay at the WACA, but most of the focus will be on the first two,” Mr Langoulant said.

“We’ll also talk about design features...and what are the critical points concerning governance.”

In response to the taskforce’s interim report released in June, the government asked that it keep to a two-stadia policy during stage two of its investigation, by examining the impacts of building a multi-purpose outdoor stadium and maintaining Members Equity Stadium as the preferred rectangular venue.

It also requested the taskforce deliver a frank assessment of the viability of co-locating cricket and rugby on the iconic WACA ground.

Proposed sites for the multi-purpose stadium have been narrowed to East Perth, Kitchener/Mueller Park Subiaco and a staged redevelopment of Subiaco Oval.

Mr Langoulant said all options were still on the table, but the sporting groups still had to provide a lot of information to the taskforce before its investigation could really progress.

A sticking point amongst some sporting groups, particularly the WA Football Commission, has been the recommendation that governance of national/international level sporting infrastructure be independent of sporting codes, and be managed through a trust or series of trusts, under the direction of government.

“We’ve had a fairly predictable response from the sports… most of them don’t like it. I think if we manage to get the governance reasonably sorted out then I think some of the other issues will be less problematic,” Mr Langoulant said.

 Negotiations between the WAFC and the taskforce are understood to be continuing, but their relationship has arguably been strained by the WAFC’s determination to keep the home of WA Football at a redeveloped Subiaco Oval.

The taskforce has raised concerns about the cost impost of this plan and its potential to disrupt sporting events during construction.

 Mr Langoulant said it saw real difficulties with the Subiaco redevelopment option, but was prepared to work with the WAFC to resolve outstanding issues.

“If we haven’t got a decent concept of what we want to do by early December, then I think it’s getting pretty late.” 

WAFC chief executive Wayne Bradshaw told WA Business News some of the biggest issues for the commission if football was moved away from Subiaco Oval would be the suitability of the venue in terms of access, transport and parking, venue management, and being able to control its own destiny for the development of football.

“The decision to move away would be based on a range of issues, and obviously financial compensation and certainty are two of those issues…We see that resolving the governance issue is a priority [and] we will seek a resolution as soon as possible,” Mr Bradshaw said.

The taskforce has until the end of March 2007 to complete its final report to government.