Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The provision of local community sporting facilities is absolutely integral for our communities. It provides space for people to gather, for families to connect and for children to become active and participate in sport. Yet we often see governments make promises to communities which they do not intend to keep. The City of Darebin is struggling to meet the demand of its population growth and to provide adequate sporting facilities for its residents. Despite the Victorian state Labor government promising additional facilities in the lead-up to the 2014 election, four years later the community still is holding its breath for the 64 competition-compliant netball courts they had been promised in Northcote, in Reservoir, in places that we know desperately need them. I urge the Victorian state government to deliver on their commitment to the people of Darebin in the electorate of Batman rather than to continue the broken promises they have become known for.