Interview with Alan Jones, Radio 2GB, Sydney

Thursday, February 22 2007


<INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT>


ALAN JONES, RADIO 2GB: Luke, good morning.

LUKE BRAILEY, BACK TO BELMORE INC. PRESIDENT: Good morning Alan.

ALAN JONES: Oh Luke, you rang the other day and we were chopped off. Yes, you were talking about?

LUKE BRAILEY: I was talking about the most recent agreement for the Bulldogs to play out of Telstra Stadium for the next 15 years.

ALAN JONES: So you're a Bulldogs supporter?

LUKE BRAILEY: I've been a Bulldogs supporter since the cradle, I love the club. However, I have to say that I'm displeased with the direction that the club is heading in. The club announced back in June 2005 that they'd be playing their NRL home games out of Telstra Stadium for 15 years but this most recent announcement, Alan, has been made at a time when the mood of Bulldogs supporters can, in my opinion, best be summarised as a mood of total uncertainty and bewilderment.

ALAN JONES: So you're wanting to go back to Belmore?

LUKE BRAILEY: Precisely, Alan.

ALAN JONES: Does Belmore need upgrading to accommodate Canterbury supporters?

LUKE BRAILEY: Absolutely, Alan. In order to bring Belmore up to a standard acceptable by the NRL, it will require significant State and Federal Government funding. If you look at Oki Jubilee, Brookvale Oval, Toyota Park, Leichhardt Oval and Penrith Stadium, they were all allocated Federal and State Government funding. Belmore Sports Ground is just as worthy a cause and should be given the same consideration. Now, Alan, I draw particular attention to Oki Jubilee Oval. It was allocated $8 million by the Federal Government and $7 million by the State Government. Morris Iemma, the Premier, was able to allocate $7 million to a ground that isn't even in his constituency. Yet the ground that is in his electorate, being Belmore Sports Ground, is the ground that is in most need of funding. As far as I'm concerned, the Premier has a moral obligation to the residents of his constituency to address the totally unacceptable state of Belmore Sports Ground.

ALAN JONES: Look, I think that's a very good point and I'll tell you why I think it's a very good point. I think the more we improve the infrastructure and the facilities within these communities, the more we're providing an environment for young people to do things. I mean, if you spend money, say, on Belmore or on Penrith or whatever, it's not just for the rugby league. That can provide opportunities for kids to do all sorts of things and that kind of infrastructure is needed in the community; small and managable facilities. I think that's a very powerful case, Luke. Leave it with me. Thank you, you made it very clearly.