Lights fall off agenda:

Max Bennett

27Nov09

Traeger Park to be left in the dark by Opposition

''We seem to be in a position in Alice Springs where those who rule our town, and I do not speak specifically of the Mayor, but those who have influence in our town, are those who support AFL, and it seems certain sections of the community ensure greater resources are provided to AFL facilities.'' -- MLA Adam Giles

THE push to upgrade the Traeger Park lighting appears to have hit a stumbling block, with Alice Springs-based members of the Opposition at odds over funding for sporting infrastructure.

Member for Araluen Jodeen Carney came out all guns blazing in her assessment of the distribution of funding to sporting venues, declaring Sport and Recreation Minister Karl Hampton was running the risk of being stereotyped as an ''Aussie Rules sort of a guy''.

She said: ''People have noticed in Alice Springs that Traeger (Park) is getting so much in comparison with the others.

''Minister, with great respect, you are at risk of being seen as an Aussie Rules sort of a guy.

''It is my view, and I feel certain it is shared by my colleagues, you have to do so much better, and a balanced approach is the order of the day.''

Hampton took exception to these comments, believing the Government's record of investing in a variety of sports and infrastructure speaks for itself.

He said: ``I absolutely reject Jodeen's comments that I am an AFL minister.

''Yes, I have played football for the past 20 years, but I have also been involved in local soccer, local basketball and local cricket.

''We've given $1 million to the dragway, over $500,000 to soccer to upgrade Ross Park, given over $100,000 for upgrades to the basketball stadium and put in $110,000 for the Ford Ranger Cup match.''

A staunch supporter of the Traeger Park lighting upgrade, Member for Braitling Adam Giles appeared to withdraw his support, claiming the key decision-makers of the region to be AFL supporters.

He said: ''We seem to be in a position in Alice Springs where those who rule our town, and I do not speak specifically of the Mayor, but those who have influence in our town, are those who support AFL, and it seems certain sections of the community ensure greater resources are provided to AFL facilities.''

With Parliament sitting in Alice Springs this week, it was believed support for bringing Traeger Park up to television standards would be at the forefront of the Opposition's thinking, but the comments made by Giles and Carney appear to be to the contrary.

However, Giles did make a brief reference to the lighting situation at Traeger Park, questioning the Government for not including the upgrades in its recent $8 million AFL deal.

He said: ''I was surprised resources were not part of that announcement to upgrade the lighting at Traeger Park so we could have sporting events at night, which we currently cannot have.

''We have this good facility which currently has no toilets in the grandstand, and we do not have the facilities at night which support televised sport to be played over Fox Sports or any other television channel.''