Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I was delighted to join hundreds of basketballers in Colac yesterday to celebrate the very first games to be held at the new basketball stadium at Bluewater Leisure Centre. Colac Basketball Association President, Peter Lemke, said that the new three-court stadium is a game changer.

The redeveloped Bluewater centre includes an upgraded swimming pool, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, a childcare centre and, now, regional Victoria's best basketball courts, which can also accommodate netball, badminton and other sports. I am very proud that the Australian government is the major funder of this $13.6 million project, contributing $6.58 million. This comes on top of another $2.5 million that our government has provided to Colac Central Reserve—which is also looking amazing and almost ready to be finished—all part of our commitment to young people and to the health and wellbeing of regional communities.

The stadium is shared with the Colac Secondary College, which has access to two courts during school hours, providing a major boost to the school's physical education program. Yesterday, Principal Simon Dewar could not take the smile off his face. After significant delays over the faulty stadium floor, I want to commend Colac Otway Shire for putting the additional money into making sure that this stadium is up and running.

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