Political party West Australian Labor will move the site for a new 60,000-seat sports stadium away from the current location next to billionaire James Packer's Crown casino "as part of a range of cost savings designed to pay for its key election public transport promise," according to Nicolas Perpitch of THE AUSTRALIAN. Opposition Leader Mark McGowan said that he wanted the "hundreds of small businesses around his preferred site" at Kitchener Park in Subiaco to benefit from patronage after a major event rather than "one big business, the casino." McGowan guaranteed that the stadium would still be ready for the '18 Australian Football League season because the 18 months of site works necessary at Burswood "would not be needed." Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett Thursday accused Labor of "panicking" as it desperately tried to fill a black hole in the costings for its Metronet rail network, which it had priced at A$3.8B ($3.9B). McGowan said, "I'd ask West Australians to understand the simple point that you can get a world-class stadium at a more affordable price and the savings can be directed into Metronet" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 2/15).
