Mount Barker Regional Sports Hub

Mr GOLDSWORTHY (Kavel) (15:30): I am pleased to speak in the house this afternoon about a very welcome announcement in the state electorate of Kavel, which I have the pleasure of representing in this place, but also in the federal electorate of Mayo. The announcement was made on 3 June by none other than the Prime Minister, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, and the member for Mayo, Jamie Briggs MP.

The announcement was for $3.75 million from a re-elected Turnbull Coalition government for an investment in a new Mount Barker regional sports hub. This new facility will ensure that the Mount Barker regional sports hub is a critical regional sporting facility contributing to the local economy and local job creation. The funding commitment will go towards the construction of the Cornerstone function centre and clubrooms, which is obviously an integral part of the sports hub facility.

It was quite a big event on 3 June. We had representatives from many sporting bodies. We had the Hon. John Olsen, the president of the SANFL, attend. We had the CEO of Football Federation South Australia there along with a number of representatives from other sporting bodies, so it was quite a significant event in the electorate of Mayo and, obviously, the state electorate of Kavel.

As well as a two-level, 350-seat regional function centre, recreational areas and clubrooms will be stage 1 of the project, and that will incorporate one full-sized AFL-standard oval, one synthetic soccer pitch and eight five-a-side pitches, soccer clubrooms and a grandstand, six netball courts, floodlighting, playing areas, car parking and vehicle access. Obviously, this new high-class sporting facility will accommodate cricket, AFL, tennis, netball and soccer, and will meet the requirements of the AFL for preseason games, cricket facilities to cater for first-class matches and soccer facilities to accommodate high-level teams.

This was a very welcome announcement made by the Prime Minister and the member for Mayo, Jamie Briggs, and it really enforces the important point that only a re-elected Turnbull government will look to proceed with this new facility. I will just quote from the member for Mayo:

'This is a fantastic project for our community and one that I am thrilled to be able to deliver for the families of Mount Barker…

The Hills community is in need of more sporting and function facilities, and this project will serve Mayo locals well into the future,' Mr Briggs said.

That is a quote from some of the press release that was put out on 3 June, but I want to remind the house of a press release that the then minister for transport, the Hon. Patrick Conlon, and the then acting minister for urban development and planning, the Hon. Jack Snelling, put out in December 2010. That was at the time when the government rezoned all that land in and around Mount Barker for residential development. Part of the press release states:

It's important that as people move into this regional centre that they can access the services they need for all stages of their lives.

Open space and recreational facilities have been very important considerations in discussions with the land owners negotiating new provisions with the Mt Barker Council.

Even though that press release is 5½ years old, it is still very relevant today. The local community in and around the Adelaide Hills needs this government to continue to commit valuable funding, much needed funding, to that community. As a consequence of the $3.75 million announcement by the federal government, we are calling on the state government to match that $3.7 million funding.

Time expired.