By Oscar Parry
Forty per cent of community submissions about Hume council’s budget called for investment in Sunbury, with one submitter labelling financial support for the town as “appalling“.
As part of its 2025-26 budget and council plan process, council invited residents to suggest projects council should fund next financial year.
The community submissions were tabled at the March 11 council meeting, with submitters given the chance to speak about their idea during the meeting.
Council received 102 submissions, 41 of which (40 per cent) were from Sunbury – the highest of any suburb within the municipality.
Six of those submissions related to the Sunbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre, which residents have long called for to be upgraded and was closed for an extended period of time in 2023 following the discovery of a water leak.
Other submissions from the town’s residents included a water park – similar to the Werribee Water Park – a splash park, improvements to the dog park in Harker Street, a Sunbury Museum, and major repairs to the Goonawarra Golf Club clubhouse.
Submissions relating to the pool asked councillors to fund a rebuild of the swimming complex, install a shade structure to provide sun protection for pool users, rebuild or redevelop the 50-metre outdoor pool and the 25-metre pool, and construct a water slide, sauna, and new automatic gates at the front entrance for visitors.
In the submission calling for sun safety improvements, the resident said that the lack of an outdoor shade structure at the site affects local school students who attend swimming carnivals at the centre.
“They’re forced to bring their own marquees and shelters to ensure the children and staff aren’t left to stand in the summer sun for hours on end,” the resident wrote.
“Families who want to spend an afternoon at the pool on a hot [and] sunny day have to scramble for the small shade patches provided by the sparse trees and occasionally the wall of the leisure centre itself.“
Another resident wrote, “The lack of financial support for Sunbury is appalling. I have lived here for [three and a half] years now and our swimming pool has been closed a lot of this time.
“The town is growing massively with all new subdivisions and we need a facility that is functioning and fit for use.“
The draft budget and council plan will be put to the community for feedback at a yet-to-be-confirmed date during May.
