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5AA Breakfast Show, Adelaide, Friday 4 December 2009

4 December 2009

Keith Conlon: Well, here's a Federal Minister, whose name was upon our lips a couple of days ago, or was it only yesterday? Kate Ellis, the Federal Minister for Sport, might have something to do with the Adelaide Oval in future years, as well.

Tony Pilkington: Is she going to cough up a bit more money?

Keith Conlon: We'll ask her, after we've talked about Cape Town, but there's where she is now. Minister, good morning.

Kate Ellis: Keith, Tony, great to be with you.

Keith Conlon: Now three days in Cape Town, and we know that at the moment you're not too worried about Adelaide Oval, you're worried about the World Cup, what kind of progress can you report?

Kate Ellis: Well of course, everyone from FIFA is over here for the World Cup draw tomorrow, but it also means that it's a fantastic opportunity for us to be putting our bid, and our case for hosting the World Cup in Australia in 2018, or 2022, so we've been madly schmoving, and putting forward all of the merits of why Australia is the best place to host the biggest sporting event on the planet, which has been going down very well.

Tony Pilkington: Kate, who are our main competitors?

Kate Ellis: Well there's a pretty crowded field, in fact a lot of people are saying that these will be the most contested World Cups ever, a lot of people are saying that England are putting forward a very strong bid, as are the Russians, as are the US, but there's also countries like Qatar, and there's a range of countries which are still in play at the moment.

But it's interesting that a lot of the international media who are over here, are putting forward that they see Australia as one of the front runners, and a very, very strong case.

Tony Pilkington: Kate, I thought it an interesting point that in our push, you emphasised the security angle of how safe we would be as a venue for the World Cup.

Kate Ellis: Well, I think it's really important, that obviously you have your teams, but also your supporters, and a sense of security is incredibly important. But the one thing that - it's just after 10.30 at night over here, and I've just left what was a most intimate banquet for 2000 or so of FIFA's nearest and dearest, but the really interesting thing is the one point that people kept bringing up, was how well we did the Sydney Olympics, and the fact that visitors had a great time, the athletes had a great time, it always seemed organised.

And I must say, what I've really noticed, since I arrived in Cape Town yesterday, is this isn't just about sport. You come through here and it's like there's a Renaissance, there are brand new roads, bridges, airports, stadiums, it is something that the entire community is incredibly excited about, regardless of whether they're sports lovers or not. And it really just fills you with a sense of the potential that Australia has, to do something like this, and to do it magnificently well.

Keith Conlon: Kate Ellis, there's a young Adelaide lad, young Massimo, the Sports Show on AA's been following his fate, I think he's there as part of our team to help promote Australia, do you know how he's going?

Kate Ellis: He is going very well, I actually caught up with him earlier today, and we went out and we visited a primary school here in Cape Town, where it's struggling, they are a very disadvantaged community. They have enough infrastructure, and enough class rooms for 800 students, but they currently have 1200 enrolled, and as part of Australia's aid program, we're investing in trying to provide resources to help educational opportunities.

So we had a chance to go out there with the eight young Australian children, who are out here promoting our bid, and we gave our desks for them to use, and have a chance to interact with some of the local kids, and it was just an absolutely moving and beautiful opportunity, to see these young Australian kids, and in this case a young Adelaide boy, getting a chance to make friends with some seven, eight, nine-year-old South African kids, who were just delighted by it all.

Tony Pilkington: Kate, when's the decision made? When do FIFA actually announce who's won the bid for 2018?

Kate Ellis: Well, it actually happens next December, the time line is that in a couple of weeks time, we have our first chance to lodge our bid documents, which is actually next week, and then in May next year, we have to lodge our formal bid, and the decision is made next December.

So the lobbying is really heating up, and there are people over here pushing all sorts of different cases, and it becomes very, very competitive from now, but we know that around the World Cup next year is when a lot of those votes will be starting to get locked in, and we're doing everything we can to make sure that they get locked in Australia's way.

Keith Conlon: If we can turn back to Australia, I think you will probably know that the Adelaide Oval was huge news yesterday, with the announcement that it would go up to 50,000 people, lots of things to be sorted out yet, but one of them is the money. Is there really a big, Federal grant possible for the Adelaide Oval?

Kate Ellis: Well, of course I'm really excited about Adelaide Oval, I'm not sure what the reaction's been over there, but I've been involved in conversations about this for many months now, and my view is, I love going and seeing sport at Adelaide Oval, I think it is a magnificent sporting arena, and the proposal to bring football and cricket together, is something that is truly historic. And as they said to the South Australian Government, they will be forwarding a proposal to the Federal Government, they're yet to do that, and obviously then we'll have to work through our processes.

But as a local member, and as a local footy and cricket fan, I think it is an absolutely fantastic idea, and I'm so excited that we will see sport taking place in the city.

Keith Conlon: In terms of funding, you've got to have the right buckets at your end, you can't just say, oh, that'll be nice, would it be World Cup encouragement money, or is there also a possibility of a general sort of sports upgrade for the community, you know, which buckets can you get it out of?

Kate Ellis: Well, they're still processes that we'll have to work through, but the one thing that I will say is that I know that the South Australian Government has been adamant that when we put forward a World Cup bid, and hopefully when we win the rights to host a World Cup, that Adelaide needs to play a key part in that, and that means that we need a FIFA-compliant stadium, and Adelaide Oval could potentially be that stadium.

So there is a great possibility there, that it can be used for a major event, but also all year round, whether it be for football and cricket, and it'll be part of my task now, to receive a proposal from the State Government, and to take it to my colleagues, and have some of those fun conversations around the budget negotiating table, so stay tuned on that one.

Tony Pilkington: Well, stick this in your diary, if it all comes together, three years and four months to your first show-down at the Adelaide Oval.

Kate Ellis:[Laughs] I look forward to it, although I must admit, as a very passionate Crows fan, I still have a problem with show-downs, full stop, it's something that I have to get better at, and become a little bit more impartial, but sometimes you can't take the passion out of football, and show-downs are one such time, in my case.

Tony Pilkington: Kate Ellis, best wishes in Cape Town.

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