NSW Govt agrees to hand over stadium docs

The NSW government will release all documents relating to its controversial stadiums plan within 21 days.

The NSW government has agreed to release a stack of documents relating to its polarising $2.7 billion stadiums policy on the same day the opposition vowed not to knock down and rebuild the venues.

By supporting Labor's upper house motion on Thursday, the government agreed to force itself to publish all stadium-related documents within 21 days.

Labor MP Lynda Voltz's motion calls on the government to table any document prepared in relation to the demolition, reconfiguration or rebuild of ANZ or Allianz stadiums, as well as any legal advice or correspondence with sporting codes.

Labor's Michael Daly said the government had effectively "crossed the floor on itself" once it realised one of its own - disgruntled Liberal MP Matthew Mason Cox - was going to vote with Labor.

"When will you admit you have mismanaged the stadium issue so badly that your government is in complete disarray?" Mr Daly asked Premier Gladys Berejiklian in question time.

While the government agreed to table its stadiums documents to an increasingly hostile upper house, Labor leader Luke Foley gave his strongest disendorsement of the policy to date.

Mr Foley categorically ruled out knocking down and rebuilding ANZ and Allianz stadiums if Labor is elected to government.

"We won't have a bar of spending $2.7 billion on knocking down two perfectly functional stadiums and building new ones in their place," Mr Foley said.

"We won't be knocking down and rebuilding either Moore Park (Allianz) or Olympic Park (ANZ) stadium because there are much greater priorities for NSW."

Mr Foley said he expected Premier Gladys Berejiklian to "capitulate" and backflip on her policy in coming weeks.

He described the government's decision to agree to the document handover humiliating.

"A Liberal MP was prepared to cross the floor on this, so we saw a complete capitulation from the government," he said.

"The government has refused to release any information relating to the stadium splurge so now the parliament will force them to do it."

However Sports Minister Stuart Ayres said the government was always happy to share the information.

"We voted with the motion, we're not hiding anything, we're very comfortable with our position on our stadiums investments and more than happy to share the information," Mr Ayres said.

In another knock to the government, it also lost its bid to stop parliamentary inquiries into state finances and capital works projects.

The upper house approved the creation of two new "super committees", with the support of Labor and the crossbench, winning the vote 21 to 18.

The Public Accountability Committee and the Public Works Committee were introduced by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.

The government's stadiums policy will likely fall into the sights of the capital works committee, marking another hurdle for Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her plans for the project.

The Liberal leader brushed off concerns about the committee on Wednesday, saying the parliament already had the power to investigate such projects.


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Source: AAP



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NSW Govt agrees to hand over stadium docs | SBS News