'Make Canberra the home of the Roos': PM Scott Morrison and Chief Minister Andrew Barr have capital idea for rugby league

Barr and the ACT government are starting formulate plans to build on a decade of change in Canberra sport, which saw the city attract international contests in almost every sport.

The uncertain future of Canberra Stadium has clouded many discussions given it is one of the oldest rectangular venues still used for major sporting codes.

But Barr says he has spoken to Morrison, an avid Cronulla Sharks and NRL fan, about the Australian Kangaroos using the capital as a base for games and training camps in the coming years.

The idea has not been raised with the NRL and talks are yet to be elevated to a planning stage, but Barr is keen to explore the options.

"One thing Prime Minister Morrison has raised with me on a few occasions now is that Canberra become the home of the Kangaroos," Barr said.

"That the Australian rugby league team should play its Test matches here.

"There's a degree of bipartisan support in relation to that because Canberra Stadium, even in its current configuration, is still more likely to get closer to a full house than almost any other venue around the country. There's certainly merit in that idea."

Australia played in Canberra three times in the past six years, including their capital debut as part of the city's centenary celebrations in 2013.

The Australia-New Zealand Anzac Test that year was a sell out, with 25,628 fans in the stands while 18,535 attended the last Anzac Test in 2017 and 12,293 watched the Kangaroos beat France 52-6 during the World Cup.

Canberra has hosted international rugby league, soccer, cricket, rugby union, basketball, netball, tennis and golf since 2010 in a shift away from its status as an exhibition-game destination.

Barr wants to make sure the capital moves forward, rather than slipping backwards in terms of being a major-event city.

Part of that is a vision to host a cricket Test every five or six years and continuing relationships with the major sporting codes.

"To be the home of the Kangaroos, that would make sense," Barr said.

"This hasn't been put directly to the NRL administration. But it's something the Prime Minister and I have discussed, so I think there's some prospect of that in the future.

"I don't think rugby league is the only sport where that sort of thing would be possible if we get the right venue size and people turn up to support it.

"What is clear is a number of sports are focused on spectators through the gates and conscious of how sports look on television. Large, empty venues with no atmosphere don't make for great television, either. That's another factor in our favour."

The government has been speaking about building a new stadium for more than a decade, but there are still no final plans or a timeline for the project.

Sport Australia, a federal government agency, owns Canberra Stadium and the surrounding land. The ACT government rents the venue for sporting fixtures.

Sport Australia is considering downsizing its land footprint at the 65 hectare AIS campus, which will likely include selling the stadium.

The government's preference is to build a new stadium in Civic, but it is reluctant to make an decisions until the future of the AIS and Canberra Stadium is finalised.

"We'll revisit in the new year," Barr said. "The more certainty we can have on those questions, the quicker we can move on some of our own infrastructure decisions."