CASEY Council, to say the least, has upset Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan with comment that the Minister for Sport and Recreation Justin Madden reneged on a $500,000 funding promise.
The council is claiming the money was assured for this year to help build a pavilion and associated car parking on its proposed twooval complex in Narre Warren North.
I believe the land under consideration is part of a floodprone area along HallamBelgrave Road near the Eumemmerring Creek.
Receiving the money this year would have been an ideal situation because the buildings and playing surfaces could have come on line simultaneously.
The council says it had plenty of assurance the money would be made available, but Mr Donnellan says ‘no way’ in the same year $2.5 million was made available for the proposed Cranbourne aquatic centre.
He said Cranbourne was the council’s priority last year and if the council wanted money for the Narre Warren North project then that would have to be its priority for the next funding round.
Mr Donnellan said the council wanted him to have the rules changed so it could get two bites of the cherry in one year.
My view is that there lies the problem.
What a ridiculous situation in government when such a generalisation of needs is factored into funding guidelines.
Casey has a letter from the Minister saying the project would be funded once site issues were settled, but he can still argue this is subject to the ‘one funding per council’ rule while the council can argue it was a funding promise.
We have a terrible situation, often repeated, where the Government’s funding programs follow general rules for all councils irrespective of their population and situation.
Casey is the biggest municipality in Victoria with 220,000 residents and many more to come.
Despite this, it is restricted in funding criteria to that of a municipality with even a quarter of its population and minimal growth.
This places Casey residents at a distinct disadvantage because the regulations lack discretion and flexibility needed to meet specific needs.
I say the council should be asking Mr Donnellan to have the rules changed.
However, I am told from within that the State Government is reviewing the rule that has left Casey out on a limb – no matter what the Minister, council, or Mr Donnellan say.
Hopefully the rules will be changed to accommodate growth councils struggling to provide desperately needed infrastructure.
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