Page 4 The Moorabool News – 31 May, 2022
News
Email - news@themooraboolnews.com.au
Pool funding a bit shallow By Lachlan Ellis Moorabool Shire Council has renewed its calls for a funding commitment from the Federal Government on an indoor pool for Moorabool, with $15 million required to build the facility. A $15 million commitment from Council for Stage 3 of the Moorabool Aquatic and Recreation Centre (MARC) was complemented by a $10 million funding announcement from the State Government on 4 May – but Council needs the Federal Government to chip in too. Inquiries from both Council and the Moorabool News in the lead-up to the federal election did not result in a funding commitment from candidates for Hawke Sam Rae (Labor) or Enamul Haque (Liberal) – Mr Rae said he “supported” the plans but did not promise funding, while Mr Haque failed to return calls and emails. Council CEO Derek Madden said despite the Labor Party having previously made an election commitment to the project, when Bacchus Marsh was in the seat of Ballarat, Council wouldn’t give up its campaign to get an indoor pool funded, that locals having been waiting for decades for. “We would have thought the Labor Party would have honoured the commitment it made prior to the last federal election,” he said. “We have written to both our local Labor MPs Catherine King and Sam Rae to congratulate them on their victories, and to let them know we look forward to working with them and their government for the next three years,” Mr Madden told the Moorabool News. “Catherine King made an election promise for funding for the pool prior to the 2019 election, and we were hoping that commitment would still stand. We will wait until the Albanese Government has its Cabinet sworn in, and we will advocate to the relevant Ministers and Sam [Rae] and Catherine [King], to continue our push for this funding.” In 2013, the Rudd Government announced $7 million
towards an indoor pool in Bacchus Marsh, with Catherine King issuing a media release in August that year titled ‘King Delivers on Bacchus Marsh Indoor Aquatic Centre’. In the 2013 release, Ms King was quoted as saying, “The funding for the project is from the latest round of the Regional Development Australia Fund and is already included in the budget”. But apparently was not. Almost nine years later, Moorabool residents are still waiting for the ‘delivery’. In a media release put out the day before the federal election (20 May), Mr Madden asked why Glen Eira Council, which already has an indoor pool, was promised $15 million if Labor formed Government, while Moorabool Shire Council missed out on the same commitment.
When the Moorabool News asked his stance of getting the pool funded following his and Labor’s election win, Sam Rae again stopped short of promising a $15 million commitment. “I’m very supportive of the Bacchus Marsh pool. Living up the road in Ballan, I want my kids to learn to swim right here in our community. I welcome the $10 million investment from the Victorian Labor Government into the Bacchus Marsh pool. I’ll continue to work with Council, the Victorian Government and the Albanese Labor Government to advocate for our pool,” Mr Rae said. The State Government says its $10 million commitment is not contingent on allocations from any other Government, with Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle stating the State Government will “continue to work closely with Moorabool Shire Council to deliver the indoor sports centre”.
What’s the real story about underground transmission lines?
The underground op�on for the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project needs to be properly inves�gated. It is important that community members, stakeholders and decision makers have access to the most accurate informa�on available on costs and impacts as the project progresses through the Environment Effects Statement (EES) process.
✘ Underground would be 16 �mes more expensive ✘ Undergrounding would require a 30m easement Overhead construc�on causes less disturbance to agriculture, ✘ flora, fauna and Aboriginal cultural heritage lines have smaller construc�on and opera�onal ✘ Overhead footprints and can span over sensi�ve areas like flora and fauna cropping or excava�on deeper than 300mms within the 30m ✘ No easement for underground cables
✔ Underground HVDC op�on is only six �mes more expensive ✔ HVDC cable would require only a 3m easement ✔ Underground HVDC can avoid areas of sensi�vity would be less than for the transmission towers, hard stands ✔ Disturbance and access tracks required for overhead does not need to run in straight lines ✔ Undergrounding Unlike overhead transmission, undergrounding does not require a 100m ✔ easement and has much fewer restric�ons on farming prac�ces
The Albanese Labor Government has recognised that the environment and community will have to bear the true cost of an overhead transmission line. The government recently commi�ed to reforming the planning process behind projects of this type, which will give communi�es a say from the very beginning. Visit Council’s website to view the independent review into overhead and underground construc�on op�ons: moorabool.vic.gov.au/transmissionlines or call us on (03) 5366 7100 for more informa�on.