There are rising community concerns about the legacy the Commonwealth Games will leave behind.
There are rising community concerns about the legacy the games will leave behind.AdvertisementHeavy trucks rumble and traffic seems ceaseless on previously quiet country roads as construction surges.
Armstrong Creek on Geelong’s fringe will host the swimming and diving in a new facility at a cost of $111 million.But scoping documents for the project show the two 50-metre pools will be removed after the Games and replaced with a smaller – most likely 25 metres – community pool and sport courts. The document does not say why the 50-metre pools will be removed after the Games, but they are notoriously expensive to maintain and run and can become a financial burden for local councils.
Geelong Swimming Club president Glenn Benson said his organisation was developing talented swimmers, but facing the prospect of having no access year-round to a 50-metre pool as the local council prepares to cut opening hours at their Kardinia Aquatic Centre training venue. Other groups such as G21, which represents five local governments in Victoria’s south-west including Geelong, had lobbied for large upgrades to local infrastructure including public transport. It now concedes big improvements to the local train system are unlikely.
Allan said procurement for construction work for the Games was not yet finalised, which meant individual project costs were unknown and not reflected in the 2023-24 budget papers.However, Monash University sport lecturer Tom Heenan said it was unlikely the state government could meet the cost with $2.6 billion.“No matter what a government says about its budget for these events, the budget always blows out,” Heenan said.
RMIT emeritus professor of public policy David Hayward said the Commonwealth Games would heap financial pressure on councils that are hosting events, while maintaining new sports infrastructure in the long term could become a heavy burden for local governments.
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