Taxpayers will help subsidise the Roosters, Sydney FC and the Waratahs when Allianz Stadium at Moore Park is rebuilt at a cost of $729 million.

Sports Minister Stuart Ayres said “there’s likely to be likely to be disruption costs”, “a reasonable thing” to expect with the rebuilding of the stadium.

“We recognise there will be some disruption costs… associated with relocations of tenants into other locations around Sydney,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Minister tells Ben in a statement:

“The SCG Trust will work with tenants, both businesses and sports, to minimise disruption during the redevelopment of the Sydney Football Stadium.

While work is being done with each of those tenants to determine impacts most of those disruption costs would be borne by the SCG Trust and not the taxpayer.”

“So, in other words, Stuart Ayres, the taxpayer is still going to be paying some of those disruption costs?” says Ben.

“On one hand, we’re giving them a brand new stadium and in the next breath, we’re also paying them compensation because they’re being affected or disrupted while we’re building a brand new stadium.

“The wording of this statement by Stuart Ayres’ office just lends more weight to the feeling out there that we’re not being told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

Listen to Ben’s comments in full below

State Political reporter Tamara Wearne tells Ben Fordham Mr Ayres did say the government would be covering disruption costs.

“At this stage, we don’t know who much the government will allocate towards that.

“They’re not compensations for the inconvenience of moving, but they’re helping them relocate.

“It’s almost an argument about semantics.”

Listen to the full report from Tamara below