What the new Acton Waterfront stadium would look like. Photo: Canberra Liberals.

The Canberra Liberals have dropped an election bombshell by pledging to build a new 30,000-seat stadium on the city’s Acton Waterfront. The Barr government is building a public lakeside park there and plans to redevelop the land for multi-family housing and commercial projects.

Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee said the Liberal government would begin construction in its first term if elected on October 19.

The Liberals have always supported building a stadium in the city, but the choice of location is a surprise given the known plans for the waterfront.

On Saturday, the party announced it would build a new convention centre on the site of the Civic Pool, which was planned for the stadium.

Ms Lee said the Liberals were committed to delivering a city-owned stadium to Canberra residents, which would deliver huge social, cultural and economic benefits to the ACT.

“A world-class stadium on the Acton Waterfront, close to restaurants, bars and hotels, will bring new life not only to the city centre but to the whole of Canberra,” Ms Lee said.

“The new City Stadium, built by the Canberra Liberals, will provide our local elite sporting teams such as the Raiders, Brumbies and Canberra United with a state-of-the-art facility and will be a venue that will attract international sporting events, the State of Origin and world-class music and entertainment.”

Ms Lee said the chosen location for the stadium on the Acton Waterfront did not require the demolition of other buildings or excessive associated works like those proposed by Prime Minister Andrew Barr at other locations in Canberra.

However, the statement did not say how much it would cost.

There is no mention of current plans for Acton Waterfront. The park, called Ngamawari, is being developed in two stages, with a new urban precinct planned behind it, with apartments, shops, businesses, cafes, recreational facilities and commercial facilities.

The proposal may also have difficulty gaining approval from the National Capital Authority, especially if the view of Parliament is obstructed.

Ms. Lee said the proposed stadium would significantly increase tourism and create local jobs, and taxpayers would receive significant economic benefits for the money spent on the project, even before considering federal funding or public-private partnerships. The statement did not elaborate.

“There is a reason why cities across Australia and the world are building stadiums in their city centres,” Ms Lee said.

“The enormous benefits that this type of infrastructure project brings to the city have been proven many times.

“A new stadium in the city will send a signal to the rest of Australia and the world that Canberra is open for business and ready to host world-class events.”

Ms Lee said the Labor-Greens government had no interest in building a new stadium, adding that Mr Barr had spent more than a decade misleading Canberra residents with false promises and conducting numerous feasibility studies.

“For a long time, Canberrans have been let down by a government that has repeatedly failed to deliver infrastructure projects for the ACT,” she said.

“It’s now clear that the only party that will build a new stadium for our city is the Canberra Liberals.”

Labor has chosen Bruce as the site for a new stadium, as part of a sports, health and education district, with the expectation that the Commonwealth will co-fund the costs. The current development trajectory is for the stadium to be built by 2033.

Mr Barr abandoned a proposal to build a municipal stadium on the site of the Civic Swimming Pool due to location and cost constraints.

ACT Labor also plans to build a convention centre on the pool site, but with a 7500-8000-seat entertainment pavilion and a timetable similar to that for Bruce Stadium.

The Liberals plan to begin construction on their convention center in their first term in a phased construction project that will cost a total of $760 million. They say the first phase will be up and running within five years.