ACT government leaves Civic stadium option out of federal discussions

The stadium issue raised its head again on Monday after federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said there would be no funding for a new venue in Canberra in the budget on Tuesday, citing the lack of a business case from the ACT as the main reason.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr is locked in advanced negotiations with the Australian Sports Commission about an AIS redevelopment partnership, and hopes to sign a memorandum of understanding in the coming months.

But the decision to push ahead with a plan for Bruce instead of investigating a city stadium and convention centre proposal is a source of tension in the sporting and business communities.

The Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies have become tired of the debate and ongoing uncertainty, while A-League Men's officials are monitoring the situation after nominating the capital as a preferred expansion location.

Barr made a "judgement call" to scrap his own vision for a Civic stadium last year to instead pursue a partnership with the sports commission to try to create a precinct in Bruce.

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There have been repeated attempts to get Barr to reconsider the move - a proposal backed by a wide range of industry leaders in Canberra and Senator David Pocock's push for a city deal.

A website with details of Pocock's city deal options is expected to go live this week, with the public invited to give their input on the push to get the federal government to commit to major infrastructure projects in the capital.

There is also a "promoting Australia's capital" inquiry looming, which will be chaired by Member for Canberra Alicia Payne. It will investigate sport's role in enhancing the city.

But Barr's discussions with the federal government officials have only focused on the 64-hectare AIS site at Bruce and either redeveloping Canberra Stadium, or building a new venue on vacant land.

The federal government owns Canberra Stadium and the AIS Arena and the land allocated to the AIS for sporting use.

"The ACT government is prioritising health, housing, education and transport infrastructure and cost of living relief in [its] budget," a government spokesperson said.

"The ACT government will soon sign an MOU with the Commonwealth to commence work together on further AIS sports precinct renewal, building on the [AIS] Arena refurbishment project, as part of a broader long-term infrastructure partnership that covers housing, transport, cultural and sporting infrastructure for our city's future."

Pocock said it was "quite embarrassing" Canberra didn't have appropriate facilities to host major conferences and events, while Gallagher said it was time to "seize the opportunity" of a working relationship between ACT and federal Labor governments.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks, however, continues to be the ownership rights of Canberra Stadium.

Given the stadium is owned by the Commonwealth, the ACT government has no rights to launch a full-scale business case and economic impact report into a potential redevelopment of the venue or the precinct.

Instead, it is hoping the federal government will commit to a joint initiative, although it remains unclear who would own what assets and what the funding breakdown would be.

Putting the Civic precinct option back on the table would give the ACT government more control over planning, and Barr has already commissioned a feasibility study that says a stadium on the site of the Civic pool is possible.

Payne's inquiry will examine ways to enhance the capital's reputation across a range of areas, including sport for the first time.

It's understood the NRL has made a submission and has endorsed the Civic stadium option.

"The terms of reference were designed to be as broad as possible in order to attract a comprehensive range of responses and submissions from a wide cross-section of the community," Payne said.

"Attracting more important sporting events to Canberra would showcase our wonderful national capital to the nation and the world."

Australian Sports Commission chief executive Kieren Perkins rejected attempts to move the AIS to Brisbane ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games.

"Canberra has suffered from a lack of federal investment over the past decade, and I'm glad to say the Labor government is turning this around," Payne said.

"[The AIS] has been neglected for too long. I have met with the Australian Sports Commission board and its chief executive ... to hear their thoughts on the future of the AIS, and they've made it very clear they want to remain here in Canberra."

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