Mr McADAM - 2003-08-19
You recently reported on some excellent sporting initiatives in the Top End. Can you please advise the House on government initiatives in relation to sporting facilities in Alice Springs?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Barkly for his question. The government has a $5m election commitment to facilitate the upgrade of facilities at the Traeger Park Sporting Complex. This commitment is being progressively put in place to ensure a high quality sporting precinct for the people of Central Australia. The commitment is being honoured through a partnership with the Alice Springs Town Council and the facility user group, known as the Traeger Park Users Group. This ensures community consultation in every stage of the process.
This year’s NT budget included further funding of $2.5m towards upgrading the Traeger Park facility. $800 000 was previously spent on upgrades to the hockey facilities in the year 2002-03. The upgraded facility has already been utilised to host two national level hockey matches. The $2.5m provided in this year’s budget will be allocated to upgrading lighting of the main oval and improvements to spectator facilities. Tenders for upgrading the high voltage power supply to Traeger Park, as part of the lighting upgrade, have recently opened. These tenders will be closing on 3 September this year.
The AFL is aware of plans to upgrade Traeger Park. As members in this House are aware, government has had recent discussions with the AFL and the AFLNT and, in those discussions, we emphasised the significance of the plans to upgrade Traeger Park. The lighting upgrades plan for this year will increase the possibility - and I say possibility at this stage - of securing an AFL pre-season match. It will also provide other high profile sporting events for Central Australia. Improved floodlighting will, of course, facilitate night use by local sporting groups.
I believe the partnership between the government and the Alice Springs Town Council, along with the Traeger Park Users Group, is on the way to transforming the vision of Traeger Park as a sporting facility of national quality into reality.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I suggest if you are going to have a pre-season AFL match, you invite Melbourne.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Barkly for his question. The government has a $5m election commitment to facilitate the upgrade of facilities at the Traeger Park Sporting Complex. This commitment is being progressively put in place to ensure a high quality sporting precinct for the people of Central Australia. The commitment is being honoured through a partnership with the Alice Springs Town Council and the facility user group, known as the Traeger Park Users Group. This ensures community consultation in every stage of the process.
This year’s NT budget included further funding of $2.5m towards upgrading the Traeger Park facility. $800 000 was previously spent on upgrades to the hockey facilities in the year 2002-03. The upgraded facility has already been utilised to host two national level hockey matches. The $2.5m provided in this year’s budget will be allocated to upgrading lighting of the main oval and improvements to spectator facilities. Tenders for upgrading the high voltage power supply to Traeger Park, as part of the lighting upgrade, have recently opened. These tenders will be closing on 3 September this year.
The AFL is aware of plans to upgrade Traeger Park. As members in this House are aware, government has had recent discussions with the AFL and the AFLNT and, in those discussions, we emphasised the significance of the plans to upgrade Traeger Park. The lighting upgrades plan for this year will increase the possibility - and I say possibility at this stage - of securing an AFL pre-season match. It will also provide other high profile sporting events for Central Australia. Improved floodlighting will, of course, facilitate night use by local sporting groups.
I believe the partnership between the government and the Alice Springs Town Council, along with the Traeger Park Users Group, is on the way to transforming the vision of Traeger Park as a sporting facility of national quality into reality.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I suggest if you are going to have a pre-season AFL match, you invite Melbourne.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016