Another day, another article. Some good lines in this one. I especially like the one about lobotomising ourselves with a soldering iron!
Oval will be best thing for our state
Russell Emmerson From: The Advertiser April 08, 2011 12:00AM
WE will be known as a state that takes aim but never fires if the Adelaide Oval plan fails, a top businessman says.
Adelaide Crows chairman, Economic Development Board member and St George Bank chief executive Rob Chapman said the project could be "the biggest and best thing" to happen to the state.
"We're considered on the eastern seaboard as a state that doesn't make decisions, that takes time to get things done," he told a Property Council lunch in Adelaide yesterday.
"We get ready, we aim, we aim, we aim again - and we don't fire. We've got to fire.
"We tend to get lost. We tend to argue."
Mr Chapman, in his capacity as Crows chairman, has previously been cautious about supporting the project, saying any move must be in the interests of members and consider the Crows' $20 million facilities investment at West Lakes.
He said the club had done a "magnificent job" on resolving most of the issues and there remained only "housekeeping" with the SANFL to bed down the matter.
The Adelaide Oval redevelopment would give the state a destination - something it now lacked, he said.
"I think the whole Riverfront precinct that has been planned is singularly the biggest and best thing that can happen to Adelaide at this point in time - $1.2 billion worth of development and it is overdue," he said. "We don't have a destination. In Melbourne we do, we go to Southbank. Queensland has its own equivalent, Sydney has Darling Harbour. Adelaide doesn't.
"We've got to turn that into a retail shopping precinct, the place where you can go and stay, have a meal, go to the football, the cricket, and enjoy it and spend some money in the city.
"We may have to change some shopping laws, but we need to do something to tell the rest of the world we're open for business."
Property Council state director Nathan Paine said support from senior Liberals Alexander Downer and Christopher Pyne showed there was an understanding of the significance of the project.
"From a psychological perspective, I believe if we cannot get this project off the ground, if we fall back on our old ways, we will effectively be lobotomising ourselves with a soldering iron," he said.
"It might sound harsh but the howls of laughter that will emanate from around the country will be audible from here on North Tce, as will the sighs of disappointment from the hundreds of thousands of South Australians who wanted a victory of vibrancy over decrepit conservatism."
