FREMANTLE Labor MP Simone McGurk says she’ll be urging her colleagues to support Fremantle council’s bid to sell off the Stan Reilly site to pay for a $20 million upgrade of Fremantle Oval.

The site is vested in the council by the state government, and whoever’s in power come February next year will have to agree to give up any profit from the sale.

Opposition leader Mark McGowan was in Fremantle on Wednesday to discuss state government investment in the port city with mayor Brad Pettitt.

Ms McGurk, who was also there with shadow colleagues Rita Saffioti and Ben Wyatt, said Mr McGowan and Dr Pettitt discussed the possible redevelopment of South Quay and the port privatisation, the poor design of the intersection in front of the Fremantle train station, and moving a government department to the city.

• New Fremantle council CEO Philip St John and mayor Brad Pettitt discuss state government investment with Labor leader Mark McGowan and shadow colleagues Rita Saffioti and Simone McGurk.

Ms McGurk says she thinks the council’s ambitious plan for Fremantle Oval, which involves co-locating the South Fremantle and East Fremantle football clubs, is achievable.

The plan would see the oval moved closer to Victoria Pavilion, new club facilities, commerical space, a gym and grass banking.

The Stan Reilly site would be sold off for a mixed use development. It was originally touted as a replacement car park because the council has already sold off Point Street and will lose Henderson Street if the Kings Square plan goes ahead.

Now the council is proposing to put the car parking under Fremantle Oval.

Ms McGurk says the only sticking point is the Fremantle Dockers, who have a long-term lease over the oval but are planning to move to Cockburn in the near future.

“The Dockers need to do the right thing,” Ms McGurk says, and hand back the lease to the council.

Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt said the redeveloped site would open the site up to more community use.

“Once completed, the community will be able to look forward to more West Australian Football League games, improved spectator facilities and a great range of community events throughout the year,” Dr Pettitt said.

Ms McGowan said the redevelopment of South Quay was a “no-brainer”.

She says with 40,000 tourists arriving or departing on cruise ships each year, it was “an embarrassment” to see elderly people having to drag their luggage across acres of hot tarmac.

“Now Colin Barnett is tourism minister I hope that he’ll see the need for more investment in what is a key tourism drawcard for Western Australia, which is of course, Fremantle.”

by STEVE GRANT