Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A much needed upgrade to the Mandurah Aquatic Centre in my electorate of Canning is on the brink of becoming a reality. This centre is a vital piece of community infrastructure that services a vast area and a burgeoning population. Mandurah lies in the Peel region, which is the smallest region in WA yet it has the second-highest population. Its growth continues to outpace the rest of Australia and there are no signs of this slowing down. Mandurah services a large proportion of the Peel region. The Mandurah Aquatic Centre is used by 16 schools, three disability organisations and six sporting clubs who manage over 600 volunteers. The centre averages 600,000 visits annually, which is far greater than what similar facilities accrue. Furthermore the centre employs 120 people. It is a major facility that plays a major role in Mandurah.

However, it is in desperate need of an upgrade. It needs to continue to offer the facilities and programs it currently provides to the local community; however, it also has to cater for the expected growth in the region, which is averaging 4.4 per cent annually as opposed to the state average of 2.2 per cent. The centre was built in 1982 and has served the community well over the past 30 years. However, it has been widely recognised for many years that the upgrade is a major infrastructure priority in the area. The push to upgrade the Mandurah Aquatic Centre has been led by the Mandurah Mayor, Paddi Creevey, CEO Mark Newman and Western Australian Minister Kim Hames.

The funding for the proposed upgrade is at a crossroads. The funding breakdown is: the City of Mandurah has committed $10 million; the state government has confirmed that it will contribute $13½ million, with $11 million coming from the Royalties for Regions scheme; and the remaining $10 million is potentially available through the Regional Development of Australia Fund. Such a contribution is an opportunity for this federal government to provide and show good faith to the people of Mandurah and the Peel region. I call on the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government, Simon Crean, to provide the money and show that WA is not, as we suspect, a forgotten state that simply pays the rest of Australia's bills.

In the entire term of this government not a single dollar of RDA funding has flowed to the Peel region. This can be verified by investigating the RDA website. Peel is a prime example of a region that deserves Commonwealth money spent on it due to its high growth. RDA Peel is servicing a high-growth region and yet such Commonwealth organisations are expected to do more each year with less money. When governments do not adequately fund such programs they become empty vessels, unable to do what they are promoted as. Australians have obviously become cynical about this. This is an opportunity for the Gillard government to make a real investment in the Peel region and give something significant back to Mandurah. I implore Minister Simon Crean to grant Mandurah Aquatic Centre the remaining $10 million it requires to make this dream a reality.