Believe in a Bruce stadium? Why Civic dreamers can be converted

It wasn't about what was said. More about how it was done and who was doing it.

So, and I say this in all seriousness, strap yourself in for these questions. Is the Canberra stadium dream closer to reality than it has ever been? And is it time to believe in Bruce?

Even though 52 per cent of participants in a stadium poll want it to be built in Civic, and another 25 per cent want it to stay where it is, the reality in front of us is a new location in Bruce is now more than just "an option". It's legit.

Just 7 per cent of the almost 2500 survey respondents backed ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr's shift to the corner of Battye Street and Haydon Drive.

But what is clear now, after Albanese splurged $250 million on an AIS upgrade and commissioned a $10 million Bruce precinct masterplan, is that the cards are on the table.

After 15 years of false starts, grand ideas and worldwide tours, the ACT government, federal government and Australian Sports Commission are on the same page, even if it's the page we least expected.

They're using the same language - talking about masterplans, precincts and divesting land. We've heard the terms before, but only when they were used to describe stadium roadblocks. Now they're being used to describe collaboration.

The fact Albanese jokingly turned to Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry on Friday and asked how much the federal government should pay towards a new stadium in Canberra gives an insight to the evolution of the conversation.

"Do you want 50, 60 or 80 [per cent]," he said.

Berry responded diplomatically. "We'll take whatever you give us," she said. Personally, I would have hit him up for 100 per cent given he was in a giving mood.

Alas, there's no blank cheque. Yet. But: "It's important Canberra is modern, vibrant and as strong as the nation it serves," Albanese wrote in The Canberra Times.

"... What is crystal clear is that under my government - Canberra will get the support, investment and respect that Australia's national capital deserves."

The question, of course, is would Albanese have been as keen to invest in a stadium in Civic as he seems to be for a stadium in Bruce? Probably given his commute from The Lodge would have been much quicker.

But if this is the hand the city has been dealt, maybe it's time for optimism to be replaced by pragmatism. This may be Canberra's best chance of getting a new stadium while being able to split the bill.

Making the transition from Civic dream to Bruce masterplan may seem difficult on the surface, but it's actually not as hard as you think. Because the majority of those who wanted a stadium in Civic have been frustrated by two elements.

One: the reasons for ditching Civic as a location preference were never really clear. They appeared to be another change for the sake of change, but now there is a clear reason - federal funding.

Two: Civic offers what Bruce doesn't, and can't as it sits today: transport, restaurants, cafes, hotels ... an atmosphere.

With one of those problem areas taken care of, the challenge now is developing a masterplan that proves you can have Bruce stadium living with Civic benefits.

For Bruce to work, there needs to be major investment in transport infrastructure off Gungahlin Drive and Haydon Drive (ironic, I know, given one of the reasons for ditching the Civic idea was the cost of moving Parkes Way).

For Bruce to work there needs to be, dare I say it, light rail. For Bruce to work, there needs to be a pre and post-game atmosphere.

If Barr, Albanese and Sports Commission boss Kieren Perkins can produce a masterplan that solves those obvious and existing issues at Bruce, the Civic dreamers will line up to jump across the city.

There were two distinct response groups to the stadium survey. One one side is the group of Canberrans who don't, and won't, see value in spending so much money on a stadium.

The rest just want see action, irrespective of their location preference. Even the Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies - the existing stadium's tenants - can handle Bruce if it's done for the right reasons and with the right plan.

The frustration over the years hasn't been about this location over that location. It has been fuelled by constantly changing ideas with little detail about why.

That's why this Bruce vision is different. It's not a thought bubble. It has the backing of the Prime Minister.