New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, has hit back after the chairman of the Australian rugby league commission sensationally accused the government of reneging on a handshake deal over Sydney stadiums.
The venue of this year’s grand final also remains in doubt, with the league seriously considering moving the match interstate less than two months out from kick off.
Unhappy over the government’s decision to put suburban upgrades on the backburner, Peter V’landys claimed on Wednesday that Perrottet had twice promised him this year that the refurbishments would go ahead.
Included in that is an April meeting in the premier’s office, where V’landys said the pair shook hands on the deal that would keep the grand final in Sydney until 2042.
The ARL commission chairman said he had also spoken to Perrottet later in the year over the phone, when he was told to trust suburban upgrades would go ahead.
But a furious V’landys said that grand final deal is now in doubt, after the government confirmed on Tuesday night that upgrades of suburban venues such as Brookvale and Shark Park were no longer a priority.
“We looked the premier in the eye, we shook his hand, we did a deal – and he’s just blatantly reneged,” V’landys told 2GB.
“That’s the summary. When you do a deal and you shake someone’s hand, you honour that agreement.
“How is any organisation or business going to … make an agreement with a NSW government when it’s got a precedent of reneging?”
The stoush comes amid a tumultuous week for the NSW government, with the sacking of former small business minister Eleni Petinos on Monday and the resignation of trade minister, Stuart Ayres, on Wednesday.
The NSW premier said the government’s priority was dealing with the multiple natural disasters that have hit the state in recent years, leaving a trail of destruction and more than a thousand people homeless.
“The NSW government remains committed to upgrading suburban stadiums, however following recent natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic, it is appropriate that further investment in stadia is staged,” Perrottet said.
“The government has just received the Floods Inquiry Report, which will likely require a significant cost to the taxpayer and I note right now there are still 1366 people without a home in NSW due to flooding.”
The NRL had originally signed a deal in 2018 to keep the grand final in Sydney until 2042 with Sydney Olympic Park’s Accor Stadium to get an $800m upgrade.
That rebuild was put off during the early stages of Covid-19, with a new $300m stadium at Penrith then announced.
The NRL then claimed it agreed on $250m to be spent at other stadiums, with V’landys adamant they were community projects as well to curb childhood obesity.
However, Perrottet told him on Monday night that was no longer immediately available in a heated meeting.
V’landys slammed the government’s reasoning, while also calling on Liberal MPs in Cronulla and Wakehurst to act.
“(When) they use the human tragedy of the floods, to spin their way out of why they’re reneging on it, it takes it to another level,” V’landys said.
“This is about the fourth or fifth excuse that has been given to us.”