Mr RIOLI - 1999-11-25
On 27 October, the Leader of the Opposition wrote to the Chief Minister requesting interim financial support for the Territory football team to join the South Australian National Football League. I seek leave to table the Chief Minister’s response.
Leave granted.
Mr RIOLI: In reply, the Chief Minister said:
I am sure you will appreciate that such a major undertaking requires careful consideration in terms of economic factors and overall commitment. A decision on this matter will be made in the near future.
I advise the Chief Minister that many Territorians would benefit from the expansion of the SANFL. The Chief Minister is dithering on this important lifestyle issue. Is it a fact that the amount required pales into insignificance against the $41m you have blown on the Planning for Growth process?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, there is no government in Australia that on a per capita basis supports sport - all sport - more generously than the Northern Territory government, and we will continue to do so. I gather from the member for Arafura’s statement and also from the Leader of the Opposition’s letter that, based on the information she has, she would unilaterally accede to the request from the NTFL group to support a team into the South Australian competition, and that would be on the present ask $250 000 on a 3-year basis from the outset.
In the interest of all Territorians, and in the interest of sport generally in terms of allocating additional government resources to sport, one has to look at the business case that is being presented by the NTFL. I can tell this House that the business case is not a good one. We are looking very carefully at whether that business case could stand up with government contribution. Certainly, from my discussions with the Minister for Sport and Recreation, there are grave doubts in our minds that the business case being presented is of such a robustness that it would support contribution from the government.
However, we will continue to look at all aspects of getting a team into the competition. It would certainly be our aim to encourage that position. I say also, though, that we would have to be very careful that support in terms of additional resources going to one particular sport does not in itself create a problem for other sports, who would quite rightly wonder why equal government contributions weren’t going to prop up their endeavours.
In general terms, the door is not closed. The business case is still being interrogated. If we find a business case that can stand up and the government can contribute, then I would certainly favour that position.
I have just been reminded, that the member for Arafura was of the view that $100 000 in sponsorship was sufficient. If you take that position, please look at the business case. A $100 000 contribution, on the business case presently put forward, would guarantee that that team would not occur. It’s not sufficient government sponsorship at all. When one looks at the $250 000 that is being asked for, as I said, one has to be absolutely sure that the rest of the revenue laid out in the business case would also stack up. The government is not convinced at this stage that that is really the case.
Leave granted.
Mr RIOLI: In reply, the Chief Minister said:
I am sure you will appreciate that such a major undertaking requires careful consideration in terms of economic factors and overall commitment. A decision on this matter will be made in the near future.
I advise the Chief Minister that many Territorians would benefit from the expansion of the SANFL. The Chief Minister is dithering on this important lifestyle issue. Is it a fact that the amount required pales into insignificance against the $41m you have blown on the Planning for Growth process?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, there is no government in Australia that on a per capita basis supports sport - all sport - more generously than the Northern Territory government, and we will continue to do so. I gather from the member for Arafura’s statement and also from the Leader of the Opposition’s letter that, based on the information she has, she would unilaterally accede to the request from the NTFL group to support a team into the South Australian competition, and that would be on the present ask $250 000 on a 3-year basis from the outset.
In the interest of all Territorians, and in the interest of sport generally in terms of allocating additional government resources to sport, one has to look at the business case that is being presented by the NTFL. I can tell this House that the business case is not a good one. We are looking very carefully at whether that business case could stand up with government contribution. Certainly, from my discussions with the Minister for Sport and Recreation, there are grave doubts in our minds that the business case being presented is of such a robustness that it would support contribution from the government.
However, we will continue to look at all aspects of getting a team into the competition. It would certainly be our aim to encourage that position. I say also, though, that we would have to be very careful that support in terms of additional resources going to one particular sport does not in itself create a problem for other sports, who would quite rightly wonder why equal government contributions weren’t going to prop up their endeavours.
In general terms, the door is not closed. The business case is still being interrogated. If we find a business case that can stand up and the government can contribute, then I would certainly favour that position.
I have just been reminded, that the member for Arafura was of the view that $100 000 in sponsorship was sufficient. If you take that position, please look at the business case. A $100 000 contribution, on the business case presently put forward, would guarantee that that team would not occur. It’s not sufficient government sponsorship at all. When one looks at the $250 000 that is being asked for, as I said, one has to be absolutely sure that the rest of the revenue laid out in the business case would also stack up. The government is not convinced at this stage that that is really the case.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016