A key claim supporting the New South Wales government’s business case for a new western Sydney stadium was never agreed to by the NRL, a parliamentary inquiry has been told.

The business case for the $300m redevelopment of Parramatta stadium anticipated that 30 NRL games per year would be played at the new venue. But the sport’s second-in-command on Monday said the league had never agreed to that.

“We haven’t given any commitments of that nature,” the NRL chief operating officer, Nick Weeks, told the NSW parliamentary inquiry. “Where our clubs play their matches will be a matter for clubs to determine.”

Lynda Voltz – a Labor MP and member of the public works committee, which is holding the inquiry – accused the government of inflating figures to justify their stadium spend.

“This is what the government has done – they’ve over-inflated figures, the NRL says they didn’t provide these figures,” Voltz said. “Where did 30 games come from if the NRL didn’t provide them those figures?”

The government originally planned to knock down and rebuild Parramatta, Allianz and ANZ stadiums at a cost of well over $2bn but has since scaled-back the scope of the works.

The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, in March backflipped on the demolition of ANZ stadium, choosing to instead refurbish the venue at a cost of $810m – saving $500m. The total stadium spend now stands at $1.8bn for the three venues.

A joint parliamentary inquiry was launched in April to scrutinise how the strategy was developed, its economic justifications and possible impact on communities.



Weeks told the inquiry that Sydney had suffered from years of under-investment in sporting infrastructure.

“Unfortunately decades of under-investment and a scattergun approach, driven by political interests rather than coherent policy, has resulted in a network of stadia in Sydney, which is dilapidated,” he said. “It does not provide the world-class experience our fans, members and players deserve.”

The former NSW Liberal leader John Brogden, the Office of Sport, KPMG, Venues NSW, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority and the City of Sydney have all previously addressed the inquiry.

The new Parramatta stadium is currently under construction and is due to be opened in mid-2019.

The NSW sports minister, Stuart Ayres, said it was up to clubs to decide where they play.

“Government has no role in directing which events are held where,” Ayres said. “We’re investing in the best facilities to ensure Sydney and NSW is the No 1 destination for sport and major events.”