WAFC move to pave way for Subi East grand plans

The State Government will use its midyear economic review to unveil details of the reshaping of Subiaco — moving the WA Football Commission to Tuart College and efforts to preserve parts of Subiaco Oval.

The moves come as the Government promises a “healthy” Budget surplus on the back of the State’s GST win and growth in iron ore royalties.

The Government will use the midyear review today to announce the WAFC will be temporarily relocated from Subiaco to Tuart College in Tuart Hill while its new headquarters and a new inner-city college are built in Subiaco.

The Government is also negotiating with the State’s top soccer body Football West to share facilities at the Tuart Hill site with the WAFC.

The $3 million move to Tuart College will allow the Government to move on the Subi East project, which involves demolishing grandstands at Subiaco Oval and building the new college, due to open for Year 7 students in 2020.

The Government is promising to preserve the heritage gates at Subiaco Oval and says the Sandover Medal Walk tiles outside the ground will also be protected, though they could be pulled up and moved as part of a “reinterpretation”.

The financial update will also show the Government writing off a $5.6 million debt incurred by the WAFC as part of the financial arrangements to shift football to Optus Stadium.

Planning Minister Rita Saffioti said Subiaco Oval would remain the central part of the Subi East precinct, with the demolition of stands making the playing surface accessible to the public and the new college.

Though WA is expected to get an extra $4.7 billion over eight years from the GST deal inked with the Federal Government, the shrinking national GST pool resulting from the sluggish economy will result in the State receiving about $250 million less over the forward estimates than it would have.

The Federal midyear economic outlook released in Canberra this week cut the amount of GST revenue shared between the States by $5.8 billion over four years, citing weaker-than-expected collections.

Under the GST fix, WA will get $1.7 billion in top-up payments between 2019-20 and 2021-22 to give the State the equivalent of 70¢ for every dollar of GST raised, before a new GST floor of 70¢ is implemented.

This month, Premier Mark McGowan promised to hand down a Budget surplus in the “hundreds of millions of dollars” a year earlier than had been predicted.