"We have a long-term agreement in place there and it is the biggest sporting event in Australia over two weeks," he said. Under Eddie McGuire's plan, Etihad Stadium would be demolished. Credit:Emily Godfrey "It gives us wonderful promotion overseas. "If knocking down Hisense stadium is part of it, and that then doesn't allow property for tennis, then I would have to say that I am not prepared to put at risk the Australian Open in Melbourne for a new stadium fundamentally for football in all its various forms." The Olympic Park Trust confirmed on Wednesday that the agreement to host the Australian Open is in place until 2036.

"That being the case, then that suggestion of Eddie's is dead and buried," Kennett said. "There is, in my opinion, no argument at all to put the Australian Open at risk. "The last thing you would want is for it to go to Sydney. "So good idea, dead, move on." Etihad Stadium would be demolished as part of the proposal, while the new stadium - dubbed "Victoria Stadium" - would fit 60,000 people and have a retractable roof in the Olympic Park precinct.

It's understood key stakeholders, including Premier Daniel Andrews, have been briefed on McGuire's plan. Kennett was premier when Etihad Stadium was built in the Docklands precinct and he stressed that his negative opinion of McGuire's proposal had nothing to do with him "hanging onto the past". "Nothing is forever," Kennett said. "So the fact that we now use Etihad Stadium as the linchpin for Docklands, that doesn't mean that if there was a good proposal that it has to be there for all time. "I am not opposed to a new stadium, a smaller stadium than the MCG, at all.

"My advice to Ed would be to find another site. It must be near public transport because increasingly our roads are becoming cluttered and we need our patrons to be able to get these grounds as comfortably as possible." Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon said McGuire floated his proposal to a group of club presidents a couple of weeks ago. He said that the Pies leader deserved a "vote of thanks" for doing so, but he did not believe the idea was the right move. Instead, Gordon said he would like to see Etihad Stadium "renovated". "This is the big thing for Melbourne – the future of Etihad Stadium, where the second stadium is. It is such a big decision that we ought to have options canvassed," Gordon said on SEN on Wednesday.

"For myself, I still prefer to Docklands as a venue," he said. "It has it's critics, Etihad Stadium, but it is really well connected transport-wise… it's got a lot of parking, and I actually think it's got a lot of potential. "Clearly I think there will be a need, at some point over the next few years, for a substantial renovation, and everyone in Victoria has got a stake in that because it is not just a venue for footy. "I think it could be much greater than what it is. "If it was renovated in the right way, it would be hub that really connected the new growing area of the Docklands precinct.… with something that is not just vibrant on days when footy is playing but… it is a place to go for various forms of entertainment and restaurants and dining out.

"You need to look at it in a long-term way. In the last 20 years there has been remarkable development [at Docklands] and in the next 100 years it is going to be even greater." The AFL also released a statement on Wednesday regarding the matter. Loading "The AFL supports the Premier's view that Victoria has world class sporting facilities, but that we need to invest to ensure that we don't go backwards in an increasingly competitive market," the statement read. "The AFL is keen to continue to discuss with the Victorian Government the best stadium and infrastructure outcome for the city of Melbourne and the Victorian public."