CM – The $ 730 Million Photograph You Aren’t Supposed To See

This seemingly banal image, withdrawn from public view, illustrates a $ 730 million controversy that could topple a government

Allianz Stadium at Moore Park in Sydney will be demolished and rebuilt at a cost of $ 730 million Image: Christian Gilles Source: News Corp Australia

This seemingly banal photograph of a sports stadium at the start of demolition illustrates a $ 730 million controversy the government would rather you didn’t see

Allianz Stadium at Moore Park in Sydney has been surrounded by tall fencing and scaffolding as dismantling work on the site begins

But the massive project to tear down and rebuild the interior-east has been a controversial nightmare for the NSW government

Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian has faced growing opposition to the huge spending required and criticism of the messy decision-making process

With an election just a few months away – a succession of opinion polls indicate his government will struggle to win – the demolition has not attracted the usual media fanfare that large-scale infrastructure projects would normally have

Demolition has started on the Allianz Stadium, which critics say should have been renovated rather than completely replacedSource: Supplied

Rugby legend, journalist and author Peter FitzSimons is a staunch opponent of the stadium plan, which also includes the $ 15 billion modernization of the ANZ Olympic Park stadium

He described the project as a « gross waste of precious resources » and said there was « no public demand for replacement » Allianz

The government described the old Allianz stadium as « a bucket of rust » but opponents of the replacement plan insist it could have … just been renovated Image: Christian Gilles Source: News Corp Australia

“We, the undersigned citizens of New South Wales, believe our money could be better spent with projects like $ 100 X 10 million funded statewide, so towns, suburbs and regions could see a thousand fields, pools and courts and arenas flourish, doing something for the general public of NSW and not just the small percentage involved in elite sport, ”it reads

« We believe that part of the money could be used to reduce registration fees for children participating in various sports, to remove the barriers that prevent so many from participating

« This would allow almost a billion dollars to refurbish the current stadiums and spend much needed money on other community resources, such as schools, hospitals, theaters, galleries, homeless shelters, etc. »

Peter FitzSimons is a staunch opponent of the government’s stadium plan, which will cost taxpayers more than $ 2 billion in total Image: Jane Dempster Source: News Corp Australia

The new stadium will have a capacity of 45,000 and is expected to be completed by 2021, with designs revealed last year by Cox Architecture

Since the announcement of the dismantling and replacement plan for the existing site, the Liberal government has faced increasing pressure to justify the huge expense

The stadium plan turned out to be a political nightmare for New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian Image: AAPSource: AAP

Former Labor leader Luke Foley and Sydney Mayor Clover Moore have both said a review was not needed

But state sports minister Stuart Ayres said the site was unsafe and did not have enough women’s toilets and disabled seating

The Sydney Cricket Ground Trust, which operates the site, also praised the plan and claimed that the old site would eventually have closed its doors

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