Page 3479 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 17 September 2019
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public transport going there. As the city expands and suburbs like Denman Prospect and others further west in the Molonglo Valley receive increased levels of public transport we need to make sure that Stromlo Forest Park does not miss out and that we make it accessible for people who do not necessarily want to drive there or who do not have the fitness to ride all the way there. Some do, but it is not everyone’s cup of tea.
We have a great asset and we need to make this facility as available to as many in our community as possible. I look forward to seeing the future plans for Stromlo Forest Park as they emerge in future budgets.
MR MILLIGAN (Yerrabi) (3.25): No doubt all of you have heard the saying that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. I feel we are at risk of making the Stromlo sporting precinct Canberra’s proverbial camel. Officially opened in 2007, Stromlo Forest Park is already viewed as a high standard and in some areas world class multi-use recreational sporting facility. It offers wide variety to the community in terms of cycling, running, walking or even just exploring, and this site also has huge tourism potential.
Stromlo Forest Park currently has over approximately 160,000 users a year, and there is scope to increase this significantly. The facility also regularly holds lots of local events. But this facility could be so much more. It has enormous potential, but this government keeps missing the opportunity to make it a real asset for local sport and recreation and sports tourism. I look forward to the completion of the Stromlo aquatic and leisure centre, but I believe this is another missed opportunity.
After decades of talk construction of the $36 million leisure centre has recently been commenced. Plans for an indoor pool at Stromlo have been talked about since 2010. In 2016 the minister promised to set aside funding for the pool and then, post-election, went through the process of consultation. It was good to see more funding allocated to include facilities such as a gym, a toddlers pool, a creche, more seating, change rooms and offices. These are welcome extras.
Having a combined gym and pool in Canberra is not a new thing, and it is reasonable for the Weston Creek and Molonglo communities to expect the same. It is disappointing that despite being asked to include a new indoor dive pool for Canberra, this request was ignored. The only dive pool in Canberra is located at the Olympic Pool in Civic and this outdoor pool can only be used four months of the year. It now has concrete cancer and is cracking and leaking very badly. I am advised that this pool is leaking 30 kilolitres a day. This is not a small amount—30,000 litres. This equates to an average rectangular pool leaking out every day.
The location and outdoor nature of the dive pool is perhaps not the best for the diving community given our climate. Why does this government under the current and former ministers for sport and recreation keep overpromising and underdelivering for the diving community in the ACT? I ask this in relation to Stromlo because both of these sports ministers have made noise about building something out there for diving, but both have failed to deliver.
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