Seriously, how much fucking more can the ACT Gov bury their head in the sand:
By
Caden Helmers, and
Nieve Walton
Updated April 29 2026 - 3:58pm, first published 3:00pm
The ACT government says the prospect of a stadium in the city is "off the table at the moment", despite the calls of
fans who entered a brand new venue across the Tasman and declared a similar project in Civic "could almost be heaven."
Te Kaha Stadium's opening weekend is expected to generate almost $5 million for the city of Christchurch, and
the sight of the fully-enclosed, multi-purpose venue has renewed calls for a similar model to be built in Canberra.
But the ACT government will forge ahead with plans to build - "whether that's a new stadium or a redeveloped stadium" - in Bruce.
"I know the Chief Minister will have more to say about that in the coming weeks, potentially," Sport and Recreation Minister Yvette Berry said.
Government officials have been examining the Christchurch and Penrith stadium projects while monitoring plans for new stadiums in Tasmania and Queensland to get a grasp of costs for new facilities in Australia.
But there are no plans to visit the new venue in Christchurch, which has been lauded by ACT Brumbies and Canberra Raiders officials alike, and hailed by rugby fans as the crown jewel for a city forced to rebuild after a devastating earthquake.
A centrally-located stadium allows fans to filter into restaurants and bars before and after games without getting stuck in the kind of traffic jams fans have grown frustrated by in Bruce, with Berry keen to explore public transport improvements as the ACT government ponders plans for the precinct.
Yvette Berry says a stadium in the city is currently off the table. Pictures by Karleen Minney, Keegan Carroll, Caden Helmers
"That definitely needs to be something the government considers. Although I would say, people say the AIS isn't central and people won't travel. Clearly that's not the case, because we're seeing Raiders games get good numbers," Berry said.
"We're also seeing the Brave ice hockey [team] getting extraordinary numbers, and they've moved out there from Woden. They've shown people will travel from all over Canberra to the AIS. I don't believe the AIS - or the place that it is now - is the problem. I think there definitely can be improvements made."
The reality is fans travel to Bruce because it is their only option, but the belief held by Raiders and Brumbies officials is more people could be enticed to attend games in a centrally-located venue - which potentially has a roof.
The ACT government has previously shot down the prospect of building a stadium with a roof due to the costs and complexity it adds to the project.
Now any plans for a roof would have to be balanced against what government officials deem "more pressing infrastructure" projects like schools, hospitals, public housing, emergency services stations and community sports facilities.
Raiders fans flock to Bruce, but club bosses want a stadium in the city. Picture by Keegan Carroll
The
federal government is developing a masterplan for the AIS, while working with its ACT counterparts to incorporate the stadium into plans for the Bruce precinct.
"There's some connections that need to be made between that and what the ACT government considers going forward as well," Berry said.
"
There's already going to be $250 million invested through the federal government in the AIS, that work is already starting out there.
"It's going to be a very different place to what it is today. I've always said, imagine what it could be, not what it is now."
Australia's most-capped player lauds Christchurch venue
James Slipper says Christchurch's new state-of-the-art venue is "one of the best stadiums I've played rugby in" - and when you're Australia's most-capped player in history, it's fair to say you've been to more than most.
The Brumbies star says "Christchurch really came alive" as thousands of rugby fans - wearing everything from faded ACT jumpers to the famed Temex jerseys of old - flooded the streets and flocked to the new stadium.
James Slipper has high praise for Te Kaha Stadium. Pictures by Keegan Carroll, Caden Helmers
The 36-year-old prop even has the rare distinction of being the only man to have played in all three of Christchurch's major rugby venues.
He played at Lancaster Park, which was condemned after the 2011 earthquake which devastated a city. His
200th Super Rugby appearance came at Apollo Projects Stadium,
the venue initially built with a three-to-five-year lifespan which the Crusaders called home for 14 seasons, earlier this year.
And now
he can lay claim to being one of the first players to step onto Te Kaha Stadium after the $560 million venue attracted three consecutive sell-outs during Super Round.
At this rate, the only thing that could outlast Slipper's career is Canberra's ongoing stadium saga.
Super Rugby officials expect the three-day event
will have pumped almost $5 million into the Christchurch economy, lauding the impact a new stadium can have while Canberra's 17-year conundrum continues.
"It's by far the best Super Round I've been to. In terms of the event itself, it was awesome to be a part of. Christchurch really came alive," Slipper said.
"You could see a lot of support for all the teams, so it was really good to be playing in that event. The stadium on top of it was awesome. It's one of the best stadiums I've played rugby in, I thought it was really good.
"It was perfect for Christchurch, perfect for Super Round, it was really good."
The ACT and federal governments are working together on a joint masterplan for the AIS precinct in Bruce, which could help to determine a potential location of a new stadium in Bruce.
There is some hope the
ACT government could change its tune on the location of a new venue in Canberra after seeing the impact a centrally located stadium in Christchurch.
The storm that hit Bruce - and forced an 85-minute delay to a Super Rugby game - has exposed a leak in the ceiling of the Canberra Stadium change room used by the ACT Brumbies and Canberra Raiders.
The stadium is configured to host sporting events and concerts, and is
allowing the city to engage in talks about securing major events which otherwise would have bypassed Christchurch.
"The sold-out success of Super Round here in Otautahi Christchurch shows why the city invests in major events," ChristchurchNZ chief executive Ali Adams said.
"When the right events are secured at the right time, they reshape perceptions, accelerate investment and build long-term confidence in the city."
While they won't forget the venue in a hurry, the Brumbies are keen to bury the demons of a 45-12 loss suffered at the hands of the Hurricanes in Christchurch.
The Brumbies have now suffered back-to-back losses and are in danger of slipping to sixth if they fall to the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Saturday night.
"There's no doubt we've lost a bit of momentum, we've stumbled over a few hurdles, but that's a rugby season, isn't it? It's very rare that you can just go smooth sailing throughout the year," Slipper said.
"It's up to us as a group, staff and players, just to come together and focus on what we can control. What we can control is putting our game out there and playing as best as we can as a team. We've probably gone away from that a little bit."
www.facebook.com
www.canberratimes.com.au
