23 April 2012

Begging for lights at Manuka Oval

| johnboy
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Considering the crap the ACT Government can find money for it’s somewhat surprising Andrew Barr has publicly gone cap in hand to the Federales for $2.5 million to light Manuka Oval:

Today I am calling on the Federal Government to contribute funding towards the upgrade of Manuka Oval.

The call comes after a number of recent major funding announcements by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, for upgrades to other sporting facilities such as the Sydney Cricket Ground, Adelaide Oval and Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

It is now time for the Federal Government to invest in upgrading Manuka Oval, by providing funding for the installation of lights at the oval.

The ACT Labor Government is committed to upgrading Manuka Oval so it can better cater for Australian football and cricket.

The introduction of broadcast quality lighting at Manuka Oval would provide opportunities for the ACT to attract competitions such as the Twenty20 Big Bash and early-season AFL night matches.

It is a reality of Australia’s modern sporting landscape that many matches are played at night, and without lights at Manuka Oval the ACT is constrained in how many early-season AFL night matches it can host and constrained from hosting Big Bash matches.

In recent meetings with Senator for the ACT and Minister for Sport Kate Lundy I have pushed the ACT’s case for federal funding towards lights at Manuka Oval.

Preliminary assessments indicate the lights would cost about $5m. The exact cost would be subject to detailed design work. I am calling on the Gillard Government to contribute about half of the cost.

If they come to the party we can expect to see them attracting the bogongs by 2014.

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nice_enough said :

A few years ago the ACT govt paid over $600,000 to upgrade the flat screen panels in the corporate boxes in Canberra Stadium, it seems that we have money to ensure a certain smaller class of person has a greatview of sporting events in our stadiums.

You mean the class of person that pays large sums of money for a corporate box with a flat screen TV? It’s not like they’re giving them out for free to the landed gentry…

poetix said :

I think you meant bogongs. (Or bogans? But cricket and AFL are not League.)

Quickest correction ever. Did you field in slip?

I think you meant bogongs. (Or bogans? But cricket and AFL are not League.)

I have to admit, I was surprised by how little lighting would cost and wondered how the hell they can’t find $5 mil for it. Actually they have $2.5 mil and they want the other half, kind of like a lot of people and their sense of entitlement 🙂 After all why should anyone have to pay for everything themselves……

There is an ugly orange blob on drakeford drive that probably could have not been put there. I’ll swap it for an Owl any day. I shudder to think how much it cost. I like the idea of art around the city, just not how much they are paying for it and the quality they are getting in return. Whats wrong with bronze statues of famous australians??

nice_enough said :

A few years ago the ACT govt paid over $600,000 to upgrade the flat screen panels in the corporate boxes in Canberra Stadium, it seems that we have money to ensure a certain smaller class of person has a greatview of sporting events in our stadiums.

Err, flatscreen panels in corporate boxes? What are they for? I thought the idea of corporate boxes was for the priveledged to watch live sport in luxury. What is the point in having a TV there?

The high and mighty don’t like having to watch the replays on the same screen as everyone else.

A few years ago the ACT govt paid over $600,000 to upgrade the flat screen panels in the corporate boxes in Canberra Stadium, it seems that we have money to ensure a certain smaller class of person has a greatview of sporting events in our stadiums.

What a waste of money. We could buy an additional five enormous owls with that sort of cash.

pptvb said :

What;s the point?
Zero parking + crap public transport = wast of time.

+1

I’d rather we stand there with our hands out for a new stadium in Bruce.

Holden Caulfield said :

Would the NIMBYs get upset at lights?

That was my first thought. Although the roar of a 50-strong Manuka crowd at night wouldn’t be enough to bother anyone.

pptvb said :

What;s the point?
Zero parking + crap public transport = wast of time.

You forgot to mention “crap game”
Did Mr Barr ever play it?

Holden Caulfield12:05 pm 23 Apr 12

A Big Bash team in Canberra would be pretty cool and a perfect format for our fair town to be on the national stage.

Would the NIMBYs get upset at lights? Maybe if Barr gets his cash we’ll soon find out.

BicycleCanberra10:06 am 23 Apr 12

Why doesn’t the ACT Government just redirect the money $20 Million that they gave the GWS. Public transport to the major events is great and free from the major town centre’s

What;s the point?
Zero parking + crap public transport = wast of time.

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