'Let me be emphatic': ASC boss Kieren Perkins weighs in on push to relocate AIS from Canberra to Queensland

Perkins will speak at the National Press Club on Wednesday in his first national address to detail the commission's strategic vision for Australian sport over the next decade.

The Australian swimming champion will also back a plan to increase financial support for elite athletes, highlight the need to diversify sport and make it more inclusive, and improve funding for winter athletes.

Queensland's successful bid to host the Olympic Games in 2032 has given sporting officials a timeline to work towards a goal of world domination and increased participation across the country.

But it also sparked an attempt to move the AIS to south-east Queensland to revitalise what will be a crucial cog in Australia's hopes of success at the Brisbane Games.

The commission has started talks with the ACT government about the future of the AIS Arena and Canberra Stadium - two federally-owned assets - and what a campus overhaul could look like in the capital.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr is keen to work with Perkins to strike a deal for the stadium and arena to be a part of a new-look AIS campus after scrapping plans to build a 25,000-seat rectangular venue in Civic.

The commission has previously considered slicing the 64-hectare AIS precinct in half and using proceeds of the division to fund an AIS rebuild.

"The leadership role of the AIS remains as important as ever," Perkins said.

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"We are committed to a thriving AIS and that includes a modern campus in Canberra.

"I've been asked multiple times about whether the Australian Sports Commission has plans to relocate the AIS from Canberra to south-east Queensland. Let me be emphatic - our plans for the AIS campus remain firmly in Canberra.

"Canberra is the seat of the federal government and is the home of the AIS. When it was built in 1982, the AIS became the most important factor in the resurgence of Australian sport on the world stage.

"It is one of our most treasured national institutions, but after 41 years of service, the AIS campus must be updated."

Perkins stepped into the commission role at the start of the year and the organisation has scrapped its "Sport Australia" title to revert to the ASC.

There has been an increase in demand for AIS campus use in recent years, after previously being described as a "ghost town" by Australian Olympic officials.

Perkins said the precinct would host 166 high-performance camps, more than 4000 athletes and 27 sports over the next 12 months in a doubling of content since 2019.

But two of the biggest facilities - the arena and stadium - are no longer considered part of the institute or the commission's core purpose operations.

The arena was closed indefinitely in 2020, officials saying it was unsafe for it to remain open. The ACT government refused to pay for the required upgrades at a venue owned by someone else, despite the capital being without a major indoor sport and events venue for more than two years.

The federal government eventually agreed to fund the work, with details to be finalised as part of the budget on October 25. The commission operates the arena for events and sports.

But the ACT government has a lease to operate the stadium to use it for Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies games, as well as marquee sporting events or outdoor concerts.

Barr was keen to build a new stadium in Civic, but said the potential of the project and associated costs blowing out to close to $1 billion and the challenges of using the site of the Civic pool prompted a rethink.

He met with sports commission officials last month to discuss stadium and AIS revitalisation options.

"We are working closely with the federal government to plan the AIS campus revitalisation, while also connecting with the ACT government to ensure we respect its deep seated value to the Canberra community," Perkins said.

"Building a new AIS in Queensland is unwarranted and would just divert investment away from our athletes.

"The Brisbane Games will be measured by how we go about delivering the event, how our athletes perform, and how the nation embraces it - not just by the infrastructure built to support it."

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