THE development of new sporting facilities on the ‘Carnival Land’ at the corner of Phillip Island Road and Ventnor Road on Phillip Island has become a major election issue.
At last week’s Bass Coast Shire Council meeting, the final public session before council went into ‘Caretaker Mode’ ahead of the October council elections, there were no fewer than six questions about the sports facility and the lack of progress during community question time.
And, it was also the hot topic of conversation at a ‘meet the candidates’ night, organised by Island Voice last Tuesday night, addressed by all seven Island candidates (in ballot order): Ron Bauer, Darrell Silva, Marnie Chadwick, Tracey Bell, David Rooks, John Trigt, and Tim O’Brien.
Why, it was asked, can’t the Council use some of the $25 million they want to spend on the Cowes Streetscape developing some playing facilities on the Carnival site? They already own the land.
“It’s a very popular thing tonight, the sports facility,” noted Cr David Rooks.
“It always has been!” fired back Cr Ron Bauer.
“I’ve always been very supportive of outdoor activity,” responded Cr Rooks.
In fact, according to a spokesperson for the Phillip Island Football Netball Club, its president Chris Ross, the shire council only needs to look 50km down the road, at Lang Lang's new recreation reserve on Soldiers Road, Caldermeade, to see what’s required at the Carnival site.
“It’s not just enough to plonk an oval there. You need lights, changeroom facilities and some of the other things, like they have at Lang Lang,” said Chris Ross this week.
The Phillip Island Football Netball Club has upwards of 500 active footy members, male, female and junior, and 160 netball members who can’t all fit on the over-stressed Cowes oval.
At the opening of the Lang Lang complex a couple of years ago, Monash MP Russell Broadbent, who organised a $1.5 million contribution to the cost of the pavilion from the Federal Government’s
Building Better Regions Fund, said the facility should be a model for others to follow.
“I’d like to see this standard of sporting and recreation facility across all of my electorate. This is a wonderful sporting and community precinct,” he said.
The cruncher, of course, is that the Cardinia Shire Council contributed $5.7 million to the reserve project with local contributions of $3.3 million. The pavilion was funded through the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions Fund ($1.5 million) and Cardinia Shire Council ($3 million). All up it’s a total of $13.5 million but nowhere near the cost of Berninneit, the Cowes Streetscape or the projected $52 million it might cost to build an aquatic centre (including 25-metre pool, 24-hour gym and two indoor sports courts).
Can’t wait 20 years
President of the Phillip Island Medical and Health Action Group and a former Bass Coast Councillor, Peter Paul, chaired the candidates’ night putting a series of questions to them about the Berninneit cultural centre, the lack of progress on the sports facility, Cowes parking problems and generally about the lack of transparency and accountability from the council before handing over to public questions.
He asked about the priority given by council to the $23m-$25m Cowes Streetscape project and the fact that a significant loss of parking was projected when the community clearly wanted and needed more sports facilities.
“The community can’t wait 20 years for sports facilities, would you support a review if elected to council?” asked Mr Paul.
Council candidate Tracey Bell said the streetscape was ugly but it’s not a priority compared to sports facilities.
“I’ve got a seven-year-old son he’d be 27 by the time they built it. No way. Sports facilities before streetscape,” said Ms Bell.
Another of the seven Island councillors who attended the ‘candidates’ night’, Marnie Chadwick agreed.
“The main street is not broken so there’s no urgent need to fix it. Money for the recreation project is the priority,” she said.
Question of intent
Among the questions asked at the council meeting last week was this one by council watcher, Graham Jolly, of Cape Woolamai:
What are all the constraints stopping council from constructing a new sporting oval during the 2025/26 year, costing approximately $4 million to $5 million on council-owned land known as the Hilton Chadwick Reserve as identified in the councils Phillip Island Recreation Master Plan 2023?
Council response: Capital works projects within the shire are guided by Council's adopted 10-year Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP) 2021–31. Currently, the actions identified in the Phillip Island
Recreation Reserve Master Plan, adopted in September 2023, are not included in the LTFP. The LTFP is scheduled for review in 2025.
More details can be found on the Sentinel-Times’ website at sgst.com.au
