Page 1997 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 June 2015
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(d) continue to regularly meet with ground users to ensure the grounds are being well managed and maintained; and
(e) reiterate its commitment to providing high quality sports grounds for use by local, community, national, international and elite sports.”.
I hope the amendment, when read side by side with Mr Doszpot’s original motion, will give members in this place both clear information and an assurance that Sport and Recreation Services are working hard. They already have addressed some of the issues, and they are working hard to address some of the questions that Mr Doszpot has raised. Also, there are some good answers to some of the questions that Mr Doszpot has just raised.
In case the amendment does not do the job, I will take some time now to further expand on the issues so that there can be no doubt of this government’s commitment to providing high quality sports grounds for use by local, community, national, international and elite sports.
In regard to the difference in the price tag for the upgrades to the oval, the initial project for the budget was in fact $4.5 million and not $4.7 million, as stated in the motion. Funding for the project was identified within the “where will we play” capital works budget appropriation. Savings as part of “where will we play”, which were presented due to some reduced costs in another area, meant further funds were available to supplement the Woden park project to address priority concerns and needs raised by stakeholder sports during the planning, design and consultation.
These priorities included sealing of the existing car park and construction of new car park space in a fenced area of the park, and construction of a photo finish and events building. That is quite a major one. I hope that Mr Doszpot is listening to this part, because that photo finish and events building is an extraordinary piece of infrastructure, one that involves considerable detail. It means that an athlete can go to the Woden athletics track and set a qualifying time to go to the Commonwealth Games, the world championships and other such events. It is a very specific piece of infrastructure, and I have had the good fortune to have its considerable details explained to me. That was not in the original design. That is a feature that was added, and it explains part of the increase in the amount of money that was spent on this project. There is also a new amenities building, including the athletics office and refurbishment of the existing building, and additional storage.
In the end a total of $7 million was spent on the project. I would have thought that Mr Doszpot and his colleagues would be happy to see increased investment in these types of local sports grounds. I am happy to confirm for the Assembly that the increased costs were just that—an increased investment with better outcomes, not a budget blowout or whatever Mr Doszpot is alluding to. In fact, it is for additional facilities that were not in the original scope of the project.
For the Assembly’s edification, Sport and Recreation Services have worked closely and positively with Capital Football, Woden Valley Football Club, Athletics ACT, Little Athletics ACT, Woden Little Athletics Club and the ACT Veterans Athletics Club to arrive at this enhanced redevelopment plan, and continue to appreciate their support and collaboration in managing and maintaining this wonderful facility.
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