Canberra Times survey: 93% back a new stadium, 79% want Civic

The paper itself says the poll gives “the vibe of the thing”,.

The Canberra Times says concerns centred on the loss of green space, the effect on Commonwealth Park, the impact on Floriade and the view across Lake Burley Griffin. Supporters pointed to a boost for Civic business, while one opposing respondent said the site would mean more years of noise and disruption for the thousands of people already living nearby. Bats also featured in the comments, though the paper says it is unclear how many live at the site.

The numbers

The survey figures, as the Canberra Times reports them, are:

• More than 3,000 responses to 14 questions.
• 93 per cent support for a new stadium.
• 79 per cent preferring a city location over Bruce, with about 13 per cent backing a Bruce rebuild.
• More than three-quarters saying they would be more likely to attend the stadium if it were in Civic.
• Almost 80 per cent saying a Civic stadium would make them likelier to go out around an event, which the paper reads as support for the idea that a stadium would reinvigorate city businesses.

The paper says the Canberra Airport owners propose building the stadium at the former archbishop’s residence. It reports that the stadium would encroach on only a small part of Commonwealth Park. By contrast, it says the planned aquatic centre will sit entirely within the park. We covered that project in our earlier report on the Commonwealth Park aquatic centre and stadium uncertainty.

What’s next

The paper says the ACT Government has been unable to resolve the question for 17 years and has so far been unable to say where a stadium is best placed, and its headline says Andrew Barr is being urged to act.

Sources: The Canberra Times, Canberra Times stadium survey report.