The NSW Government is keeping communities in the dark about plans for publicly-owned land around four major sporting stadiums. The Sporting Venues Authorities Amendment Bill 2025, which has already passed the lower house of the Parliament, would enable residential and tourist accommodation on public land near stadiums in Newcastle, Wollongong, Parramatta and Penrith.
In last week's Budget Estimates, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said that there would not be any hotels built on the Venues NSW land surrounding WIN Stadium in Wollongong, following Dr Cohn's questions.
But today Minister for Sport Stephen Kamper told the Budget Estimates hearing: "We're legislating across the board for residential and hotel accommodation on all sites… We didn't want to have any restrictions on any of our land holdings."
Greens spokesperson for Sport and Recreation Dr Amanda Cohn asked Minister Kamper whether he would amend legislation to limit accommodation development in keeping with announced plans, for example at the site of the current car park adjacent to McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle as outlined by the Broadmeadow Place Strategy.
Dr Cohn told the hearing:
"There's a real inconsistency between what the government is saying they're going to do at these sites and what you're wanting legislation to permit you to do on these sites."
"The legislation you've put forward would allow development not only in that carpark but also at the showground and on the land that's currently the hockey fields and the Knights Centre of Excellence."
According to Dr Cohn, the NSW Government is attempting to quietly pass this legislation without community consultation or scrutiny.
"The land belongs to all of us," Dr Cohn said.
"Venues NSW was created to manage major facilities for sport and entertainment events, not to act as a real-estate arm for the government," Dr Cohn said.
"This bill is quietly opening the door to for-profit accommodation on public land, and it's not consistent with the plans the government has announced for Wollongong or for Newcastle."
