Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I would like to draw attention to the state of the Black Rock Life Saving Club in the wonderful electorate of Goldstein. Over its 88-year history, the club has consistently provided a safe, friendly and welcoming environment for its members and its visitors. The club's volunteers promote the benefits of healthy outdoor activities, water safety, and an awareness of the beach and the aquatic environment that we are so blessed with on Port Phillip Bay. Last year, Black Rock volunteers performed 2,399 hours of patrol, assisted a beach-loving community with preventative actions and, of course, rescued those people in need. We are indebted to them for their service.

The clubhouse is used by a variety of community groups, including schools, hospitals and sporting teams. We sincerely wish that this could continue, but unfortunately the failing state of repair and the decaying state of the clubhouse is making it very difficult for this community resource to be used by the people who need it and it may be lost. To address this an active fundraising program is underway, but it remains a mighty challenge given the scale of the work needed. This is because the clubhouse at Black Rock was one of eight clubhouses listed as most in need of urgent renewal by the Life Saving Victoria statewide audit in 2011. Precious resources are being wasted as the decaying facilities are in constant need of repair. The first aid room regularly floods, rendering it unfit for purpose. I have been down to the Black Rock Life Saving Club; I have seen the state of the facilities, and it is truly appalling that people who are trying to save people's lives would have to put up with such circumstances.

Five years after the audit, the clubhouse renewal remains unfunded by the state government, the Andrews government. The president of the club, Simon Tucker, like many, applauds the fact that some clubhouses have been renewed in that time and have been given injections of support to rebuild their facilities. But there is an issue in that there seems to be a very opaque process of allocation of these funds—not necessarily based on what is 'need' first and foremost.

I was astounded the state government was funding solar panels for the existing clubhouses—in fact, it has put some on the Black Rock Life Saving Club, even though the state of facilities is decaying and they need resources and money for the rebuilding of it. The state government needs to take a hard look at its priorities, because when it comes down to it there is an absurdity to approving funding for installing solar panels on a decaying clubhouse that is in dire need of replacement when club volunteers cannot even use basic first aid facilities to the extent we need to make sure we can care for people. I genuinely hope that common sense will be restored, and I can assure the Black Rock Life Saving Club that I will do anything to assist and work with them to fix the state of their clubhouse.