Australian Rugby League Commission Chair John Grant claimed "threats to rescind the multi-billion injections" into stadia rebuilds would cause "massive damage" and result in sporting investment leaving Sydney, according to Adrian Proszenko fo the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The NSW government "has come under fire" for committing A$2.5B ($1.9B) to "the knockdown and rebuilding of Allianz and ANZ stadiums." The opposition "has slammed the move and vowed to scale back the investment" if voted into office. Grant: "It's a brave decision, it's great for rugby league and I think it's the right decision. There are going to be people with different points of view and that's what we're seeing." Labor leader Luke Foley described the A$2.5B spent on the city's stadia infrastructure as "obscene," and believes much of the money "could be better spent on schools and hospitals." If Labor "wins power, he will redirect a large chunk of the funding into those areas." Grant said, "If that were to happen, it would cause massive damage to the goodwill that's been created by people who look at the city and see what people in the state are doing. That would be a very big decision for an opposition that got into government to make. It's convenient for them with a political view now. The reality of damaging the goodwill created by people who want to invest in this city, that's a big play" (SMH, 12/7).
