Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to talk about two significant sporting infrastructure projects which have been funded through the Rudd government’s community infrastructure program in my electorate. There is a $6 million investment for southern Tasmania that includes $4 million to build the Kingborough sports complex twin ovals development, as well as $2 million to help fund the Bellerive Oval lights project. These projects will be a welcome boost for the local economy. They will afford short-term economic benefits for the local economy with jobs and they are also long-term projects that will deliver health and social benefits for kids and Tasmanian families in the years to come. Without the federal government funding, these projects may never have got off the ground.

The $4 million investment for the twin ovals development in the municipality of Kingborough will include an oval that will be built to AFL standards. The other oval will have a turf wicket and eight practice wickets. The twin ovals will become the new home bases for the Kingborough Tigers Football Club and the Kingborough District Cricket Club. Both these clubs have outgrown their current home ground at Kingston Beach Oval and have eagerly been participating in the planning of these new developments.

The other project is the Bellerive lights project, which will mean Tasmania will continue to receive its fair share of the international cricket market. There has already been the announcement of a three-day test match to be played against Pakistan in Hobart, at Bellerive Oval, and a Twenty20 game against the West Indies in February. This is great news for Tasmanians who enjoy their local sport and even better news to ensure that the local economy continues to be boosted by the construction of these projects. I saw firsthand the progress of the construction at Bellerive Oval only a week ago. (Time expired)

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