Page 509 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 13 February 2013
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one beer per customer. That, I understand, is in place as a responsible service of alcohol policy and is pretty consistent for Cricket Australia events across the country. Undoubtedly, in the evening session that led to some people having to return to the beer queue more often than they would otherwise had they purchased four beers at one time, but I think any reasonable assessment of a responsible service of alcohol policy would endorse the 4, 2, 1 approach, particularly as you get into the ninth and 10th hours of a day at the cricket. I think that is a reasonable approach.
In relation to the parking issues, I am pleased that 99.8 per cent of those who attended the event were able to do so without incurring any traffic infringement. It is disappointing that a relatively small proportion of the crowd ignored all of the warnings that parking inspectors would certainly enforce illegal and dangerous parking. They did so, and that is entirely appropriate.
I think as we evaluate these particular events and look at the future centenary events this year at Manuka, noting the times that they will occur, the particular clash with the daytime work force will not be the case for AFL matches as they are either on a Friday evening or on a weekend. But I advise that in recent times there has been a significant increase in capacity for parking around Manuka, and I will list the following additional car parks that have become available in recent times: the East Hotel, which is where I parked. It cost me $15, but I had a secure, undercover car park within 200 metres of the ground. When I arrived at the match—about an hour before—there were ample parks available in that car park. When I returned to collect my car at the end of the match, there were still lots of empty car parks. I do not know obviously in the intervening hours whether all of them were full, but, certainly at the time I arrived there were plenty at the East Hotel, which is a new hotel very close to Manuka Oval opposite the Kingston Hotel.
There is also additional car parking at the Burberry and Realm hotels, where I parked for the other match. I parked at the East for one and at the Burberry-Realm undercover car parks for the other, again, within close walking distance. I think the other one cost me $8. So, yes, I paid for parking, but it, of course, provided a secure car park. Again, the advice from the operators there was that there were still surplus car parks at those locations.
Of course, we opened up both Kingston Foreshore and through an arrangement—and I thank them for this—there were parking opportunities at the Fyshwick markets and a short shuttle ride that I am advised would be between about two and a half and five minutes to drop you directly at the door of the ground. So, in the circumstance that Mr Smyth described in his commentary, if you had perhaps driven to work, you could have driven your car to Kingston Foreshore or the Fyshwick markets, caught a shuttle bus and then been returned to that location and continued your journey south if you worked in Belconnen and wanted to go to the game and then go home to Tuggeranong. That option would have been available for you.
Also, we made the parking at Kingston shops, which I understand is about 850 metres from the ground—that large surface car parking there—free for the afternoon for the matches as part of the special event parking that was widely publicised prior to the match.
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