By Jessica Micallef
By Jessica Micallef
Calls for a toilet block to be reinstated at Bulla Recreation Reserve have made it all the way to State Parliament.
Western Metropolitan MP and Bulla resident Bernie Finn earlier this month asked Local Government Minister Shaun Leane to speak to Hume council to ensure it returns the “much-needed” toilet block to the reserve.
“Locals want them back. If the Jack McKenzie Hall is not open, there is no public access to toilets and that is a truly deplorable situation,” Mr Finn said.
Cr Jodi Jackson raised a motion during last week’s council meeting to look at reinstating the toilet block, saying Bulla residents had expressed a “deep desire” to have them open and accessible for residents and visitors.
“I know that Bulla does get a lot of traffic, people are going through and making their way somewhere,” Cr Jackson said.
“I think it is a reasonable request … so we can start having a discussion about what is available, what we can provide for them and consider whether that can be done in the next 12 months.”
Deputy mayor Jack Medcraft said he was responsible for having the original toilet block at the Bulla Recreation Reserve demolished more than a year ago because of the “unsavoury characters” that hung around there.
He said he couldn’t justify the council spending money on a toilet block where only “half a dozen” people passed through.
“That toilet block was only used for illegal activities. Very rarely did anyone go out there,” he said.
“We are looking at nearly $300,000 for a toilet block that will only be used occasionally.
“The cost is not warranted.”
Cr Carly Moore said there were many sites across Hume competing for a new toilet block. “We need to make sure that no toilet or no site is jumping the queue because a councillor is requesting it,” she said.
The council will consider reinstalling the public toilets, as part of its budget deliberations.
