Page 2905 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013
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operational this year. Well, that was last year. It comes as no surprise to this side of the Assembly that the Labor government rhetoric is rarely matched by reality, and so it is with the sport and recreation promises from election to budget.
In fact, even before the budget we had the not-too-surprising news that the government was trying to once again put up ground hire charges by as much as 70 and 80 per cent. How fortunate then that the minister for sport was able to tell the Assembly earlier this year under questioning from us that, in fact, he had not yet signed off on such increases, and magically they were trimmed back to CPI levels. I am sure it was coincidental timing!
No such luck, though, for swim clubs facing significant increases for lane hire charges. The government in this instance can say, “It isn’t us. We’ve contracted out the management of swimming pools.” But the government have to sign off on any increased charges, and they agreed to increases that could see some clubs having to cut their junior programs or close altogether. The government claim ground hire and lane hire charges are no big deal. But when you see clubs just across the border in Queanbeyan with better grounds and cheaper ground and pool hire costs, it does become a big deal.
But it is not just in ground hire and swim lane hire that the government has failed to live up to its promises. Let me highlight just a few more examples from the budget. In the election campaign ACT Labor promised an allocation of $500,000 towards an infrastructure fund to improve player and spectator facilities at Greenway enclosed oval with the bulk of the funding to come this financial year. The budget has an allocation of $40,000 for design works only and nothing in the forward estimates for anything else.
Included in election promises were upgrades for neighbourhood ovals at Spence and Torrens, suggesting Bonython, Watson and Weetangera had all been funded in last year’s budget. This year’s budget papers tell us the money is still coming for those ovals and the work will not be completed until June 2015. So it is anyone’s guess when Spence and Torrens will get their turn, just like the repeatedly promised Gungahlin pool and the Gungahlin grandstand.
There is a promise of nearly $3.5 million to upgrade irrigation and playing services at Kambah and Hawker, but these have also missed out this year. And when you read the fine print in the costings, you see nothing is planned for another two years. The football community has long been promised a grand plan for Melrose high with two FIFA-standard synthetic soccer pitches with lighting, permanent seating, storage and change rooms. The request for costing and election commitment outlined the work would be finished and fully operational this financial year. However, the minister forgot to tell the Treasurer that it was supposed to be funded and finished this year. So the original $5.1 million has shrunk to a $200,000 design plan. Current students of Melrose high should not be hoping to play on these new pitches any time soon.
A new pool at Weston Creek and upgrades to Tuggeranong were great for a news headline in September last year, reminiscent of what we are seeing at the federal level actually. Mr Barr, your mentor is obviously teaching you well. But Labor will face
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