By Ethan Benedicto
The Outer Melbourne Councils’ mayors, which include the mayors of the City of Casey and neighbouring Cardinia Shire Council, have pushed for more pool and library funding.
In light of Infrastructure Victoria’s report on the southeast’s need for more green spaces and their interconnectedness, the OMC has called for a $20 million federal cash injection to bolster amenities.
Furthermore, this comes with the adoption of a fair funding formula for public pools and libraries.
According to the OMC’s report on ‘access gaps’, over one-third of Melbourne’s babies and toddlers live in outer-suburban areas.
However, these areas don’t have as many pools and libraries as the inner areas of Melbourne, and with growth and urban expansion, communities are lacking adequate access to aquatic facilities.
The same report stated that while historically both State and Federal Governments have been aiding in the funding of these facilities, councils have been the sole parties overseeing this in ‘recent years’.
Together with Aligned Leisure, Casey currently manages three facilities that double as an ARC, with Casey ARC, Casey Race and Doveton Pool.
In turn, the lack of contribution from both state and federal levels has led to what the report described as a ‘growing deficiency’ in the availability of libraries and aquatic recreation centres.
Similar to the number of younger children that live outside inner Melbourne, the one-third approach sees all three parties, state, federal and local governments, contribute to the funding of these facilities.
As stated in the report, the OMC “propose that new public library and community aquatic recreation projects be funded equally by the Federal Government, Victorian Government and the relevant local council”.
“This approach will best ensure that we can respond to the needs of outer Melbourne communities and provide our residents with the infrastructure they demand in a timely way,” it said.
Citing Infrastructure Victoria’s 2021 report on ‘Social infrastructure in Melbourne’s growth areas’, it was found that funding gaps exist, and the burden on local governments can be alleviated from increased contribution to outside sources such as the higher levels of government.
With the continued rapid growth of these outer councils, such as Casey, the OMC has highlighted the need for adequate aquatic centres for learning swimming skills and understanding water safety.
Specifically, the report detailed an 88 per cent reduction in drowning risk for children aged one to four years old.
“Swimming lessons equip individuals with critical skills, including water survival techniques, safe behaviours and lifesaving knowledge,” the report said.
The report also identified that over the next decade, at least nine new community aquatic and recreation centres, alongside 17 libraries, are needed across outer Melbourne.
The total funding required to deliver these projects is currently estimated to be more than $1.2 billion, with the delivery of some larger projects now calculated to be well over $100 million.
This story is developing, and more information will be added when available.
