These five ACT projects will cost $1.8b (at least). Which should be first?

And in another boost for Canberra, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher wants the capital to get its "fair share" of infrastructure funding as she weighs up an almost $1 billion wish list to transform the city.

We have pieced together the five projects the ACT government is hoping to get off the ground over the next 15 years, with the total coming to about $1.8 billion if everything goes to plan and costs don't blow out.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has written to Gallagher and her colleagues seeking a 50-50 investment on jobs like the Canberra Theatre, an entertainment pavilion, convention centre and stadium.

As the bill stands, and if the federal government agrees, they would be on the hook for $900 million, and that's before they're asked to chip in for the light-rail stage to Woden (which we still don't know how much it will cost). Don't forget about Manuka Oval, either, which Barr has said he's keen for joint investment to build a new eastern grandstand.

When you add in improvements to the national institutions, a $250 million upgrade for the ageing facilities at the AIS and $10 million for a multi-purpose precinct study at Bruce, it's obvious the wheel is turning on federal investment in Canberra.

"[It's] a long list and we have to have some understanding that it all can't be done at once," Gallagher said.

"We've asked the ACT to prioritise within that for if they had two choices, what would they be.

"We're in those discussions. I think also for the Commonwealth, ensuring our role is about promoting the national capital is part of the discussions we're having with the ACT government.

"There's a number of projects that fit that - the convention centre, the stadium - so it's really working out what's the best use of Commonwealth funds and what project is good to go.

"There's a long list still to go ... I certainly recognise [the ACT hasn't] got what they should have over the past decade. I certainly experienced that when I was Chief Minister - we didn't get a fair share of Commonwealth support.

"We're trying to change that but we can't change it overnight and we've got our own budget pressures."

As for the arena, reopening it is one thing but getting acts who want a mid-sized venue back to Canberra is another.

The Australian Sports Commission - a federal government agency - will resume operations and bookings. Chief executive Kieren Perkins said they had been hounded with requests for details and booking dates.

They don't yet have a ticket provider, but once that is finalised expect to see some shows booked.

The question now, though, is it a case of waiting for promoters seeking out the AIS or the AIS seeking out promoters?

One reason why Canberra struggles to get the big events is because it's a competitive market, where governments sometimes play a role in helping foot the bill (especially when it comes to sport) to secure content.

In the past, the ACT government has worked with national sport organisations to strike deals, and then the government books the arena for the required dates. That will likely be the case, but Gallagher didn't rule out federal help to get events at the arena.

"We're hoping it's fully utilised," Gallagher said. "That will be a mix of different events. We know [Canberra] has missed out on things since it has been closed, that's the reason why we wanted it to open.

"So Canberrans get the opportunities other places do to see concerts, exhibitions or sporting events.

"After 10 years of [the ACT and federal governments] not really dealing with each other, we've got a partnership and we work through these matters. If they put a proposal to us, we would look at it."

Gallagher, Sport Minister Anika Wells and federal member for the Canberra seat of Fenner Andrew Leigh got a guided tour of the new-look AIS Arena this week.

Gallagher and Wells unveiled a new plaque on the top level to officially open the biggest upgrade in the venue's 43-year history.

But there was almost as much interest in who wasn't there. There were no ACT government representatives, and ACT Senator David Pocock wasn't invited.

At a glance it's not that much of a surprise given it was $15 million allocated from a federal Labor budget. But, the ACT was invited to the $250 million AIS investment in May.

And Pocock was one of the main drivers in putting the future of the AIS Arena on the federal election radar three years ago. After Pocock raised its closure as a major issue, former Liberal Senator Zed Seselja somehow found $11 million for upgrades and then Labor jumped in with $15m.

It seems odd to be talking about cricket when the temperature is plummeting around Canberra, but Big Bash talk is heating up. We hear Cricket ACT chairman Greg Boorer is still pushing hard for a Canberra team.

In the meantime, the Sydney Thunder has taken up an option for an additional year in its contract with the ACT government. That means the Thunder will play at Manuka Oval again.

But wait, there's more. The Thunder aren't the only team bringing a home game to Canberra for the season. We hear there's another Big Bash green team that will use Manuka Oval as a home venue in December. Stay tuned.