Andrew Barr says stadium is '10th order issue' after Cavalry takeover

The on again, off again stadium issue has sparked debate in recent weeks after the federal government gave Tasmania $305 million for two stadium projects while the capital continues to wait.

Barr has been negotiating with the Australian Sports Commission about the future of Canberra Stadium and the AIS precinct and is confident he will be able to reach an agreement in the coming weeks.

The details are expected to include a major overhaul of the Commonwealth-owned stadium and Venues Canberra taking over operational duties for the AIS Arena when it reopens later this year.

There have been two separate bids in the past six months to get Barr to reconsider Civic as the stadium location after he scrapped the Civic pool site as his preferred location last year.

But Barr was unequivocal in where the stadium sits in the priority list, and his preference to work with the commission on an AIS renewal project, when asked about the issue in the wake of the federal budget this week.

The government is juggling a long-list of infrastructure projects, headlined by a $1 billion takeover of the Calvary Hospital announced on Wednesday as well as light rail, a new theatre, a convention centre and a stadium.

When asked at the hospital announcement if the AIS was his preferred choice because it was cheaper, quicker and easier given the significant cost of the hospital takeover and the light rail to Woden project, Barr said: "Well, I need to balance out all of the infrastructure priorities.

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"Health, education, housing ... they're all more important, frankly, than a football stadium.

"A football stadium is nice to have. It's not an essential asset in the way that a hospital, schools, housing. Today's not the day to talk about stadiums, I'll have another conversation about that later."

Pressed on the issue, he added: "We are not going down the folly of a billion-dollar plus stadium. We will not be spending that sort of money on a football stadium, I can make that clear.

"Budgets are about choices and priorities. We have chosen to prioritise health, education, housing, transport, emergency services, the environment, climate action ahead of nice to have projects.

"... But the announcement today is more important. So is the investment in education, so is the investment in transport, so is the investment in housing. I'm very confident that is the view shared by the majority, the overwhelming majority of Canberrans.

"We will need to improve stadium infrastructure, but that's not the purpose of this announcement ... we'll go to some other questions, because frankly, [the stadium] is a 10th order issue. It's not important today."

The Commonwealth is expected to spend $120 billion on infrastructure projects over the next decade. Canberra missed out on any of the $1.2 billion in city and regional deals in the federal budget for 2022-27.

But Barr said he expected the ACT to get a 2 per cent share of the $120 billion fund, which equates to about $2.4 billion.

"We're asking for our population share of that 10-year program, so we would put forward a range of projects we believe would be suitable and have a history of Commonwealth co-funding in that sort of infrastructure," Barr said.

"What is very clear is that there are opportunities in that sort of precinct renewal to deliver renewed public infrastructure and more affordable housing. That's on our agenda at the AIS precinct."

Stadium supporters have grown frustrated with continual delays since Barr first raised the need for a redevelopment in 2009.

The football codes are keen for any new venue to be close to the city to mirror the success of stadiums around the world, but Barr is focused on a new multi-purpose precinct at the existing site.

"I've been very clear about the order of the infrastructure and their location for some months," Barr said.

"I realise some people don't agree and I get that. But to be clear, we've made our decisions and we're progressing with those. I'll have more to say about the AIS precinct partnership in due course."

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