Labor plays to the crowds with GPAC and stadium pledges

September 26, 2018 BY James Taylor

Premier Daniel Andrews (centre) takes a tour of GPAC’s stage 2 works with Sports Minister John Eren, Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley, Bellarine MP Lisa Neville, Geelong MP Christine Couzens, South Barwon Labor candidate Darren Cheeseman, GPAC chief executive officer Joel McGuinness, and Geelong Football Club chief executive officer Brian Cook.

LABOR is playing for both the sports and arts vote in Geelong ahead of November’s state election, pledging nearly a quarter of a billion dollars towards two major infrastructure projects if it retains power.

Premier Daniel Andrews visited the Geelong Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) on Friday to announce his government, if re-elected, would commit $128 million to stage 3 of GPAC’s redevelopment, as well as $102 million towards stage 5 of GMHBA stadium.

Work is under way on stage 2 at GPAC, and stage 3 would include a 500-seat drama theatre, a 250-seat courtyard theatre, a black box experimental theatre, an outdoor atrium, and an upgraded box office.

Labor says the third and final stage of the redevelopment would create about 600 construction jobs and more than 300 ongoing jobs, with work to start in 2020 and be completed by 2023.

“This is the logical next step to allow more shows, more talent and more of the crowds that are thrilled by the talent at GPAC,” Mr Andrews said.

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said audiences at GPAC would double to 360,000 annually once stage 3 was complete.

At GMBHA Stadium, the fifth and final stage will increase the stadium’s capacity to 40,000 by replacing the Ford Stand and Ablett Terrace with a 14,000-seat two-tier stand.

The existing Geelong Cricket Club rooms will be replaced, and new loading facilities will create better access for drop-in pitches and other major events. At Friday’s media conference, Sports Minister John Eren suggested Disney on Ice as a possibility.

The works – to create about 300 jobs and to start in 2020 and be finished in 2022 – will also create a museum, the Geelong Sports Discovery Centre, in the new stadium.

Kardinia Park Stadium Trust chief executive officer Michael Brown said the trust would look to stage eight to 10 major events a year when the stadium was complete.

“There’s no reason the Elton Johns of this world should not be considering our stadium when they next tour regional Australia.”