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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Anne Davies

Revealed: how Stuart Ayres drove the plan for Penrith’s even more ambitious new stadium

Stuart Ayres in a stadium
The former NSW sports minister Stuart Ayres pushed for an ambitious plan for a new stadium in his marginal seat of Penrith, documents obtained under FOI laws reveal. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

The former NSW sports minister Stuart Ayres was centrally involved in persuading the state government to pursue the controversial compulsory acquisition of the Penrith harness racing paceway site to allow for the construction of a new stadium next door for the Penrith Panthers, rather than the $309m rebuild originally planned.

The acquisition order was announced in July, despite the government putting the upgrades of other suburban stadiums on the backburner, citing acute budget pressures.

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