Labor using corporate suite at stadium

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This was published 13 years ago

Labor using corporate suite at stadium

By Andrew West

THE Keneally government is directing business, such as large sports events, to Sydney Olympic Park, where the Labor Party keeps a corporate box for entertaining big donors.

The Herald revealed yesterday that the government, through its Minister for Major Events, Ian Macdonald, gave Cricket NSW $1.4 million to secure the rights to four cricket matches at Olympic Park in Homebush.

The generous funding, which the government did not reveal in its official announcement, came despite cricket authorities saying the NSW was likely to have won the right to host at least two of the four matches. Until this announcement, international cricket has always been played at its traditional home, the SCG at Moore Park.

Now it has emerged that the party's NSW branch has had an option to use a corporate suite at the stadium for the past three years, where it has duchessed major party contributors, including property developers and pharmaceutical companies.

Party insiders say the corporate donors have been able to mix socially in the suite with the former premiers Morris Iemma and Nathan Rees. They have enjoyed access to influential figures within the government and ALP at the rugby league grand final, league State of Origin and rugby union Bledisloe Cup.

Last night, the party's incoming general secretary, Sam Dastyari, rejected any connection between the government's decision to send the Twenty20 games to Homebush and the ALP's lease on a box. ''The suggestion is completely incorrect,'' he said. ''The ALP's contract [with the stadium] ends this year; the games start next year."

According to an announcement by the Premier, Kristina Keneally, the international Twenty20 games ''likely'' to be played at the stadium include Australia versus India in 2011-12, Australia versus South Africa in 2012-13, Australia versus England in 2013-14 and Australia versus India in 2014-15.

But one party source said this new arrangement would make it ''very attractive, if not likely'' that the ALP would renew its lease on the suite. ''The more events you hold at Homebush, the more fund-raisers head office can hold there during major sporting events,'' the source said.

He said in the past the corporate suite had been used not simply to entertain donors but for direct fund-raising. ''You get corporates along, charge them $2000, and that's a lazy 24 grand you've made in an afternoon.

''I doubt very much whether the Premier even knew about this connection.''

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