Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ipswich is on the cusp of being able to play football at the elite level of every major code played in our nation. The new home of the Brisbane Lions, the Brighton Homes Arena in Springfield, with an 8,000 seat capacity, was opened at the end of last year in time for the AFLW Grand Final. The Springfield venue saw contributions from many sources and from all levels of government, including $15 million from the federal government. The Lions' administration is located there, and the Lions' women's team will play there permanently for home games.

With the Brisbane Olympics 2032 on the horizon, I support the temporary relocation of the Lions' men's team to Springfield for home games. This would entail the need for greater seating capacity in Springfield while the Gabba is being redeveloped for Olympic Games purposes. I'm urging all interested parties to assist, including the federal government, the state government and the Ipswich City Council.

The people of Ipswich were bitterly disappointed by the decision of the Australian Rugby League Commission to admit the Redcliffe Dolphins as the 17th team in the NRL. The Jets' bid for the licence was Ipswich based, and the Brisbane based Firehawks' bid was Ipswich-connected through the Brisbane Tigers' association with the Swifts Rugby League club from the Ipswich competition. Either of these bids would have been preferable to the Dolphins.

Ipswich has a long history of Rugby League tradition and achievement. It's in the city's DNA. Ipswich once proudly boasted the entire Australian Rugby League test front row, including Dud Beattie, Noel Kelly and Gary Parcell, and the likes of Allan Langer and the Walters brothers. Sydney Roosters players Sam Walker and Luke Keary were born in Ipswich, along with NRLW legend Ali Brigginshaw, the Broncos' Queensland and Australian captain.

With a booming population, a vibrant junior nursery of players and a strong seniors' competition, Ipswich is perfect for an NRL licence. With the NRL mooted to go to 20 teams within a decade, an Ipswich team, a Cairns based Pasifika team and a Western Australia based team—possibly in collaboration with the North Sydney Bears—would be just the thing for a conference based, 20-team NRL competition.

The North Ipswich Reserve, the spiritual and actual home of Ipswich rugby league, is getting a much-needed $20 million redevelopment from the Albanese Labor government. The Ipswich City Council has put aside $10 million to invest in the reserve facility. This is an Ipswich council based facility, and I'm asking the Ipswich mayor and the councillors to bring forward the $10 million. The council officers are confident that a $30 million stage 1 redevelopment will go a long way towards field configuration, new floodlights, a large digital screen for the viewing public, NRL-compliant men's and women's change rooms, a new grandstand and a high-performance fitness centre open to the public and run by the council.

The Ipswich City Council should further commit to this asset—the council own it—and then they should be seeking further state government and federal government funding to complete the project. The council considers that the entire cost of the project could be up to $80 million, which is not much less than the total cost of the Brighton Homes Arena in Springfield. Then the North Ipswich Reserve would be Olympics ready and capable of hosting rugby league, rugby union and football—as in soccer—at the highest level. The people of Ipswich deserve nothing less. I'm urging the Ipswich City Council to have a bit of vision and support pathways for achievement and excellence for our football codes for men and women, and boys and girls.

The redevelopment of the North Ipswich Reserve is needed by the people of Ipswich and surrounds, and it would prepare us not just for another bid for an NRL licence but for another bid for an A-League licence in the future. I say to Peter V'landys, the ARLC chair: listen to the people of Ipswich, back Ipswich and admit Ipswich into the NRL. Then you'll have a great future competition, with Ipswich wearing the green and white colours and playing the Brisbane Broncos in their reprise of the Bulimba Cup tradition. What a game that would be at Suncorp Stadium!