Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Stories of builds that run over budget and over time are plentiful, but the saga of the North Sydney Olympic Pool is a cracker. Last week, residents across North Sydney were dismayed when our local council flagged that they may need to raise rates because of the bungling of what was meant to be the refit of the change rooms at our iconic pool.

Back in 2020, the then North Sydney Council embarked on a project without final designs or proper costings. Then, in a brazen pre-election grab for votes, they were waylaid by a coalition government pledge of $10 million for the project. Four years on, the pool is still closed. Understandably, news of a possible rate hike has many worried, with one person recently asking me why she should pay for the previous council's gross mismanagement.

All of us in this place must learn from runaway infrastructure projects like this and challenge pork-barrelling that runs rampant in the lead-up to elections, because pre-election promises can derail normal governance and sideline community interests. While our current mayor, Zoe Baker, is doing everything she can to rectify the issue, the challenge is significant.

Just in the past week the member for Indi reintroduced the Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) Bill 2024, a private member's bill designed to stop this egregious and cynical behaviour. While they're too late for North Sydney, her proposed reforms would safeguard other electorates. I urge the government to bring on the member's bill for debate as a member of urgency.