Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In Cowan the Kingsway Regional Sporting Complex has hosted many sports with thousands of users each weekend. When I say 'thousands' I mean it, because during the netball season each Saturday more than 4,000 people use the facilities. Across the road at the Kingsway Football and Sporting Club they host Australian football and the ages range from Auskick to Seniors with hundreds of players, officials, volunteers and family members. In summer that field is used by the Kingsway Little Athletics Centre and, again, has around 1,000 users then.

One hundred metres away is the Wanneroo Baseball Club, and their diamonds are also used by the Viking Softball Club. In the other direction is the Wanneroo City Soccer Club and next to that is the Olympic Kingsway Sports Club and the Wanneroo Rugby Union Football Club. The northern conference of the WA gridiron competition also plays some of its games there. On a different part of the complex, the teams of the Wanneroo Districts Cricket Club play, and there is also hockey played on that field. The indoor complex hosts many sports and sporting groups, including Badminton WA. This is a very well used complex across the whole area. It includes literally thousands of users—not just on the weekends but also for training during the week.

And it is not just sport. The complex also hosts the Air Force cadets and the iconic bingo events at the Kingsway Football and Sporting Club and the Olympic Kingsway Sports Club. There are dog walkers and those who just enjoy the opportunity to exercise themselves—an activity which I count myself a part of.

The Kingsway sporting complex should be known for these positive pastimes, but unfortunately not all the activities conducted there are positive. As an open complex, others can enter the area and move around after dark and at other times and can create problems. Since 2013 there have been many incidents where the police have attended. These calls have been for general offences, found property, suspicious persons, burglary, traffic breaches, disturbances, noise complaints, wilful exposure, abandoned vehicles, fires, stealing, public disorder, building alarms, hooning, drugs, weapons, threats and other problems.

Although the good and legitimate activities far outweigh the negative and bad activities, the clean-up costs after incidents for clubs include increased fees, other costs and insurance charges. Generally, these problems make life for volunteers on club committees harder than it should be. I think they do enough without these additional challenges. Because I have such high regard for the clubs and legitimate users, I believe that additional security measures are required, such as CCTV, to make sure that those up to no good and abusers of the facilities are placed under additional pressure. I therefore thank Minister Keenan, the Minister for Justice, for his interest in this issue and I look forward to working with him for better security, including better law and order outcomes, for all clubs and legitimate users of the Kingsway sporting complex.

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