greynurse
July 25th, 2004, 10:36 PM
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/26/1090693859775.html?oneclick=true
NSW taxpayers are reportedly paying $46 million a year to keep struggling Olympic venues across Sydney open.
The owners of the two biggest Olympic venues, Telstra Stadium and Sydney SuperDome, have also deferred or failed to pay levies since 2001, leaving taxpayers almost $6 million out of pocket, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The NSW government said the Sydney 2000 Games were paid for upfront, leaving no debt for future generations, but four years later some venues are in trouble, with most losing money.
The privately run SuperDome at Homebush Bay recently went into receivership after losing $10.5 million in the previous financial year.
It also failed to pay the annual $500,000 levy to the Sydney Olympic Park Authority since 2001, leaving the venue $2.2 million in debt and rising.
The Sydney International Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park receives a $1.3 million-a-year subsidy, or $310 for each of the 4,185 riders who used it last financial year, the Herald reports.
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At the Sydney International Shooting Centre in Cecil Park, taxpayers pay $10 for each dollar the centre earns, or $1.1 million a year for the 5,388 people who used it in 2003-04.
The $36 million International Regatta Centre, near Penrith, receives $1.7 million a year, but operators say about 608,000 people visited it last year.
Blacktown Olympic Park receives $1.26 million in funding from the state and local council to allow about 300,000 people a year to visit.
Fairfield Council spent $600,000 to build the Olympic mountain bike track, but has closed it because too few people used it to justify the $50,000 maintenance bill.
NSW taxpayers are reportedly paying $46 million a year to keep struggling Olympic venues across Sydney open.
The owners of the two biggest Olympic venues, Telstra Stadium and Sydney SuperDome, have also deferred or failed to pay levies since 2001, leaving taxpayers almost $6 million out of pocket, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The NSW government said the Sydney 2000 Games were paid for upfront, leaving no debt for future generations, but four years later some venues are in trouble, with most losing money.
The privately run SuperDome at Homebush Bay recently went into receivership after losing $10.5 million in the previous financial year.
It also failed to pay the annual $500,000 levy to the Sydney Olympic Park Authority since 2001, leaving the venue $2.2 million in debt and rising.
The Sydney International Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park receives a $1.3 million-a-year subsidy, or $310 for each of the 4,185 riders who used it last financial year, the Herald reports.
Advertisement
Advertisement
At the Sydney International Shooting Centre in Cecil Park, taxpayers pay $10 for each dollar the centre earns, or $1.1 million a year for the 5,388 people who used it in 2003-04.
The $36 million International Regatta Centre, near Penrith, receives $1.7 million a year, but operators say about 608,000 people visited it last year.
Blacktown Olympic Park receives $1.26 million in funding from the state and local council to allow about 300,000 people a year to visit.
Fairfield Council spent $600,000 to build the Olympic mountain bike track, but has closed it because too few people used it to justify the $50,000 maintenance bill.