WA Premier Mark McGowan opens doors to new $1.6 billion Perth stadium
Updated
Perth's $1.6 billion sport stadium has thrown open its doors to the general public this morning, with tens of thousands of people expected to visit throughout the day.
Perth stadium at a glance
- 60,000 seat capacity, third-largest by capacity in Australia
- Cost $1.6 billion, $1,500 per WA household
- Primary uses: AFL, cricket, concerts/events
- First sport event One Day International on Sunday, January 28
- Two of the biggest screens in the southern hemisphere, plus more than 1,000 television screens
- Food and beverage outlets: 71
Cars are all but banned from drop-offs and parking is almost non-existent, so visitors today have largely depended on the train to deliver them to the stadium's doors.
The new structure is the third-largest sporting stadium in Australia by capacity, with 60,000 seats.
Premier Mark McGowan welcomed people this morning with a nod to his predecessor Colin Barnett, who was premier during most of the design and construction phase of the project.
"At the outset I want to thank Colin for all his work and perseverance," he said.
The plaque Mr McGowan unveiled inside the stadium did not have Mr Barnett's name on it, but he said this was common practice.
"I actually spoke to Colin about that and he was very emphatic that there should be a plaque and it should have my name on it," he said.
Mr McGowan also praised the efforts of firms tasked with the build, saying it was an important moment in Western Australian history.
"The build here, the finish, the extraordinary design shows that West Australians, West Australian industry can do anything," he said.
The Premier said he was confident in the coming week, there would be a resolution to potential transport issues in the event that a Scorchers final is played at the stadium.
There has been a decision to cap numbers because it coincides with peak hour and there are concerns about the strain on the public transport network, as the pedestrian bridge to the venue has not yet opened.
When asked if an AFL grand final should be held at the stadium, Mr McGowan said it would be the right thing to do.
"It's the least that the rest of the country could do for Western Australia, considering the GST they take from our state, to hand the AFL grand final to our state each and every year for nothing.
"It would be a small compensation but it would be something."
World-class design to get families off the couch
Stadium project director Ronnie Hurst told the ABC the stadium was designed to offer the best live experience it could, to compete with high-definition flat screen TVs and the comforts of home.
"That way, people will get out of the comfort of their living room with the flatscreen television, surround sound and fridge right beside them, to actually enjoy the live sport experience," he said.
"That was the main thrust of everything we're about in terms of the design of the stadium."
Mr Hurst said the project was started in 2008 but put on hold for a few years during the Global Financial Crisis.
There was initially controversy over where in the city the stadium would be built, but the Liberal-National government of the day settled on Burswood.
The first tranche of visitors toured the site this morning, with 110,000 expected to come through today.
Father-of-three and Dockers supporter Pat Donovan told the ABC he was impressed with the design.
"We're just excited to see the inside of it, what a fantastic day for WA," Mr Donovan said.
"I love the influence of the Indigenous landscape here, and I thought the welcome to country from Richard Walley was particularly moving."
Barnett wouldn't change a thing, except name
Mr Barnett, who was at the helm during the bulk of the design and construction phase, said the project had the best facilities around the country and West Australians could be proud of it.
"The stadium has become almost the focal point of the city," Mr Barnett, who was invited to cut the ribbon this morning with Mr McGowan and Sport Minister Mick Murray, had earlier told the ABC.
"It's an entry statement for people coming in to Western Australia through the airport, and it's become a dominant feature of Perth, I never thought it would have that.
"That's testament to both the architect and the design that went into it, it's a striking building both from the outside and inside."
Mr Barnett said he would not do anything differently, and he believed the only mistake the McGowan Government made was selling naming rights to the facility.
"Due respect to Optus, they're a good company, but I certainly would have retained the name Perth Stadium," he said.
The deal struck with the telecommunications giant will generate an estimated $50 million over 10 years.
He said the decision to delay the project in 2008 was to give priority to the Perth Children's Hospital.
"I suppose it's one of those quirks of history that the stadium went beautifully as a project, that's now completed, the children's hospital's still a couple of months away from finally opening," he said.
Topics: sport, urban-development-and-planning, community-and-society, wa, perth-6000
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