Greater Shepparton City Council has shifted its position on an upgrade to the Shepparton Sports Stadium.
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City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said council was revisiting what the design for an upgrade would look like due to the current political climate and financial situation of the Victorian Government.
Council had a $60 million detailed design that it endorsed in the lead-up to the 2022 state election.
This plan received a $20 million commitment from the Coalition in 2022 if it had won the state election, which it did not.
Cr Sali said the Commonwealth Games cancellation in late July last year renewed hope within council to get a commitment from the government before the guidelines for the funding were released in June and revealed that the Shepparton Sports Stadium did not meet the criteria.
“We saw it as our greatest opportunity to get the state government on board and make it a priority project for them to then take to the Federal Government,” Cr Sali said.
“Then the guidelines came out that it had to be an identified piece of infrastructure that would be used for the Commonwealth Games, which the stadium was not.
“There wasn’t going to be close to that ($30 million) available in grants.”
The announcement comes after state Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe sent out a media release relating to the stadium this week.
On Monday, February 26, Ms O’Keeffe detailed an interaction in parliament with Community Sport Minister Ros Spence in August last year following the Commonwealth Games cancellation in late July, lobbying for an upgrade to the Shepparton Sports Stadium.
Eight weeks later, in September, Ms Spence responded to Ms O’Keeffe and notified her that the government had “not received a funding application for the Shepparton Sports and Events Centre”.
“I am aware that Greater Shepparton City Council is progressing with project planning,” she said.
“I therefore encourage all stakeholders to continue developing the proposal and seek capital through future funding opportunities as they become available.”
Ms O’Keeffe emphasised the need for a “shovel-ready” plan and said she had been advised that council was revisiting and advancing the design to reach this phase.
“Our current stadium is not fit for purpose, and our sporting clubs and community deserve so much better,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“I will continue to lobby for this project, but that cannot happen until we have a detailed design and a shovel-ready project.”
The next morning, on Tuesday, February 27, Cr Sali and Committee for Greater Shepparton chair Leigh Findlay joined ABC Shepparton Breakfast host Nic Healey on air to discuss Ms O’Keeffe’s media release.
“There is a detailed design, and I’m actually confused she (Ms O’Keeffe) doesn’t remember that because that was during the period of time she was mayor,” Cr Sali said.
“We go back to the drawing board, which is clearly now in our political environment, we are not going to be seeing the government knocking on our door to spend $30 million from a state perspective or $15 million from a federal.”
Both Cr Sali and Mr Findlay, who is also on the Shepparton Sports Stadium advisory committee, agreed the stadium funding had to be drawn out from an election promise or line item within a budget.
Mr Findlay said more achievable options for an upgrade to the stadium were being considered due to the “financially strapped” state government and its “serious financial situation”.
“Due to the political environment that we are in at the moment, we’re not going to find ourselves on the top of the list with big, big chunks of money,” Mr Findlay said.
He suggested adding four courts to the stadium and an upgrade to the existing four courts instead of a knock-down rebuild approach to potentially halve the price of the redevelopment and make it a more appealing investment for the state government.
On Wednesday, February 28, Ms O’Keeffe responded to Cr Sali’s comments about his confusion that she did not “remember” that there was a detailed plan for the stadium.
“Of course I did (know about detailed plan),” she said.
“But the minister notified me that an application had not been submitted.”
“I was surprised by that.”
Ms O’Keeffe said she later touched base with departing council chief executive Peter Harriott as he left his role in early January this year, and he confirmed there was still a detailed plan.
Ms O’Keeffe said she understood that with council’s new chief executive, Fiona Le Gassick, taking over in early February, council needed time to discuss its position on the stadium, but she didn’t understand the lack of transparency to the public.
She also expressed concerns about talks of a compromise.
“I worry we are compromising on a world-class facility, and we shouldn’t have to settle,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“That’s not my role, that’s council’s role, but I need a detailed plan I can advocate for in parliament to the ministers.”
When asked about the current status of a planning application, Cr Sali said no planning application was required as the Shepparton Sports and Events Centre redevelopment was under an “incorporate document”, which had already been approved by the minister.
Cr Sali said recent discussions with the state government had shown that a build cost of $60 million for the redevelopment of the Shepparton Sports Stadium was unlikely to be made a priority project by the state.
“Council understands how important this project is for the region and we cannot expect the community to wait for the perfect environment for council to secure the necessary funding,” he said.
“Because of this, council is now revisiting the plans and looking at ways to best absorb any relevant grants.
“We will have more information to share on this as soon as possible, likely mid-2024.”
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