The future of Sydney’s Allianz stadium will be determined by the New South Wales court of appeal, which has agreed to an expedited hearing on Friday.

The community group Local Democracy Matters has asked the state government to produce to its legal team the schedule for demolition of the Moore Park stadium in the next two weeks but has not sought an injunction.

Sports minister Stuart Ayres said on Monday that the government intends to continue with the demolition according to the contractor’s program of works, setting the stage for a further showdown with the community.

“This matter has been nothing more than a political stunt from Michael Daley’s Labor and the Greens to delay the world class infrastructure that NSW deserves,” Ayres said.

During the unsuccessful attempt by Local Democracy Matters in the land and environment court to overturn the demolition consent, InfrastructureNSW indicated it planned to begin unbolting the roof of the 40,000 seat stadium and removing it during early March.

The community group has sought access to the schedule and said it could still seek an injunction if needed.



Greens MP David Shoebridge, who is supporting the group, said he wanted the community to be vigilant and alert him if they saw cranes and bulldozers moving into the stadium in coming days.

“Our legal team will make a decision about an urgent injunction once the government provides the demolition schedule,” he said.

The latest developments put the ball in the Berejiklian government’s court: it can proceed with the soft demolition or move to the next stage of knocking down walls and removing the roof – but that would risk more court action and headlines about the stadium ahead of the 23 March election.

The future of the stadium will likely now be resolved before the election, depending on how swiftly the judges make their decision.

Local Democracy Matters is appealing on all three grounds that it ran in the land and environment court, even though it lost on all three. These include that the government failed to follow its own planning laws on contaminated lands, design competitions and exhibiting the plans for comment for the required time.

The saga of the stadium is taking centre stage in the NSW election campaign, with Labor using the $730m demolition and rebuilding of the 30-year-old stadium as an example of the Coalition government ignoring popular opinion and doing the bidding of the powerful Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust.

The trust board includes broadcaster Alan Jones, the former News Ltd chief executive John Hartigan, and company directors Maurice Newman and Tony Shepherd.

Labor says the demolition ahead of the election is the height of arrogance because it is opposing the new stadium. Instead, it will require the trust to pay for the new stadium or renovations.

At her campaign launch on Sunday, the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, argued the state’s finances are in such strong shape that the government is able to invest in hospitals, schools and transport, while still having funds to build world-class sporting infrastructure.

Infrastructure NSW is seeking membership details of Local Democracy Matters amid accusations that the group is a front for the Greens and may be backed from other quarters.

Shoebridge admitted both the state Greens and his local branch had put money towards LDM’s campaign, but insisted it was a genuine grassroots organisation with community support.