Page 2786 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 29 June 2010
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large-scale sports and recreational projects; $15.61 million in capital funding for a range of targeted investments in sports; $13 million for upgrading and developing sports facilities.
It is incredible how the minister uses a few figures here and there, mixes and matches them, re-announces them, reuses projects, and comes up with a plethora of media releases. He hopes that the public oohs and ahs at these announcements. Of course, there is that other media release that proudly proclaimed the government was bringing on line six sporting fields.
The minister is fond of blaming the opposition for opposing for opposition’s sake, but the only truth here is his consistent myopic usage of this phrase in a vain attempt to hide the fact that the Canberra Liberals are working hard at holding the minister and ACT Labor accountable.
Returning to the issue of community fields, sift through the minister’s legacy construction projects and media buzz and we see that this is what he has to say:
I think there are some that, given that they have been out of circulation for so long, could have an alternative recreation usage. One of the things I am interested in looking at is the model that we are establishing in Crace … if this model works … an option to consider in the future is to look at what other sorts of sports and recreation could be supported rather than just rehabilitating grass if we do not need that.
Madam Assistant Speaker, that statement speaks for itself. It requires no further elaboration. Sporting clubs want their community fields back, and the minister is waxing on about half a tennis court and picnic facilities. As is slowly becoming apparent, the word “need” is a subjective one. Community sports organisations need their fields back. The minister needs his publicity fix. According to the government, since 2002, 41 fields have been taken offline due to stage 3 water restrictions and have not yet been fully brought back online.
I find it incredible that the ACT Labor government had since 2002 to address this issue and has yet to come up with nothing substantial in bringing these 41 fields back online. Upon inquiring about the government’s $8 million “where will we play” outdoor sports facilities water reduction strategies, the response was clear. The initiative has been moved to 2011-2013 due to project complexities and scale viability issues.
But according to another of the minister’s media releases, this government has spent $30 million on drought-proofing sportsgrounds to ensure that Canberrans have access to sporting facilities even in the face of ongoing drought. Well, Mr Barr, 95,000 Canberrans may not fully agree with you and six sports fields out of 41 since 2002 is just not good enough given the amount of taxpayer money already spent. I think your position on rehabilitating grass for community sports fields is moot. You already feel that the community does not need it.
2002 seems to have been a watershed year for ACT Labor government in the sports and recreation portfolio. In addition to taking 41 community fields offline, it was also
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