Commenting on the Knights' legal action to recover more than $300,000 the Jets allegedly owed for hiring the stadium, Ms McKay said the community could "make up its own mind" whether the Knights were being hypocritical, given they owed more than $1 million in stadium rent to the Government.

Knights chief executive Steve Burraston sought this week to keep the latest dispute with the Jets separate from the club's decision to withhold the rent and seek government compensation for site redevelopment work.

But the NSW Opposition said the "mess" was the result of the Government's inability to negotiate an agreement over the stadium that satisfied both clubs.

The Knights are the major tenants of the government-owned stadium and sub-let it to the Jets.

An independent arbitrator would hear the rent dispute between the Government's Hunter Venues authority and the Knights next month.

Ms McKay, who previously said the two clubs were "behaving like children" and the Jets were treated unfairly, said yesterday she could not comment before the hearing, but that a decision about the rent was needed "before we can move forward and consider other issues", such as the Jets' access.

Opposition spokesman for the Hunter Mike Gallacher said Ms McKay had promised to sort out the stadium dispute more than 18 months ago, but had failed to deliver.

The Knights were feeling the squeeze, and had been "forced into a situation" of scrounging back the money from the Jets, he said.

He said the Jets should honour its debts, but that neither club was to blame for the situation.

Ms McKay said she was confident Hunter Venues had acted appropriately and adequately in its dealings over the stadium.