Page 4906 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 25 October 2011
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This contribution forms the foundation of community sport and recreation and allows for greater access to physical activity opportunities for everyone. The report also highlights that the availability of high standard facilities directly contributes to the ACT having the highest physical activity participation rates in the country. This is thanks to the significant investment into these facilities by this government and a continuing upgrade program.
To give an example, the priority capital works that the government is currently delivering include the restoration of the Isabella Plains and Charnwood district playing fields; a $2.1 million investment in a multi-use indoor sporting and community facility in the Tuggeranong town centre—the shadow minister’s former electorate—$21.3 million towards the Lyneham precinct redevelopment stage 1, inclusive of grants also to Netball ACT and Tennis ACT of $3 million and $4 million respectively to upgrade their facilities within the precinct; a grant for development of a new basketball centre of excellence on the north side of Canberra that has progressed with the purchase of some land adjacent to the existing Belconnen basketball centre; and, of course, an ongoing program of $16 million towards the where will we play program.
Need I remind everyone in the chamber that these initiatives that are so benefiting of community sport were, in fact, voted against by the opposition in their usual opposition for opposition’s sake approach to budgeting in this territory? So let us put this in perspective. In the 2011-12 budget, the government dedicated $36.5 million to capital expenditure for local sport and recreation. That is $36.5 million compared to a $3.5 million prospective contribution from those opposite. It is worth noting that $36.5 million in one budget year is more than 10 times what was proposed by the Leader of the Opposition in his drought breaking policy speech of last week. Some $3.5 million over four years is a pretty paltry commitment to community sport and recreation. Too little, too late.
Mr Seselja: There’ll be more where that came from.
MR BARR: There is more? We look forward to that. We can certainly look forward to that.
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Le Couteur): Mr Seselja, Mr Smyth, please be quiet.
MR BARR: Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. Meanwhile, the government continues its program of delivering real investments into upgrading our existing community sport facilities through the facilities improvement program. I thought I would take a few moments of the Assembly’s time to talk about some of those improvements: Jerrabomberra oval pavilion, $700,000 upgrade; storeroom addition to the existing Majura enclosed field, $80,000; Hawker softball centre, couch conversion for all three diamonds; the Stirling district playing field baseball nets, dugouts and infield couch conversion program; the Ainslie baseball field outfield fence; the Jerrabomberra oval car park sealing and bollard installation; the COMTROL unit
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