Any ACT political party looking to fund a major new multi-million dollar convention centre in Canberra will need an election mandate, Chief Minister Andrew Barr says.
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Mr Barr fronted a Legislative Assembly inquiry into the proposal for a new convention centre on Thursday, saying the proposal would not be part of any territory budget "this parliamentary term".
![ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has rejected a new convention centre for Canberra, without federal funding. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has rejected a new convention centre for Canberra, without federal funding. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/786b5f79-1c35-4e28-b742-a03c75aee622/r0_0_2000_1331_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The convention centre was proposed as part of the City to the Lake project now under the City Renewal Authority's precinct, with a block of land on Lake Burley-Griffin set aside, before the government in February officially rejected it.
While the business community has been a key driving force behind the project, previously been priced by KPMG at up to $700 million, the government's has instead focussed on the $939 million light rail project as its major infrastructure project this.
Mr Barr on Thursday again reiterated the convention centre was not a priority, given he made no promises about it during last year's election campaign.
He said the government was open to considering 'various iterations' of the project in the 2020s, or 'various elements' in the short and medium term to improve Canberra's existing convention centre.
"I suspect a project of this scale, where we'd be committing hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of territory funds would require a party to take it to an election," he said.
"This would be a very large [promise] and one that I wouldn't make without it being part of an election mandate."
The government had previously told the committee, in its submission, that while there were "elements within" the capital's business community that backed the idea, "consultation with the broader community revealed support was not as strong".
An analysis of the Australia Forum proposal by KPMG examined four different options for the proposed centre, ranging between abut $150 million at the lower end to about $680 million.
But Canberra Airport planning director Noel McCann said that the airport thought it could be built in a 'staged development' and that if the government did not put it to the market, "we'll never know".
The airport group had proposed a centre with a $400 million spending cap, but that a deal could potentially be made between a private developer, and both levels of government.
"I think there's an appetite to do it, I'm not saying the Snow family [airport owners] have got a big appetite to do it, but they've got a big appetite to help," Mr McCann said.
Mr Barr also said that despite interest in numerous blocks around town for hotel developments, the government hadn't received any unsolicited bids to build a convention centre on the land allocated.
"If there is this alleged interests from the private sector in undertaking that, then that block of land is available for that purpose," he said.
He said no Commonwealth government was interested in funding a new centre in Canberra, and he was sceptical that the private sector could get a sufficient return on capital, even if a hotel was part of any proposed development.