Oscar Parry
Hume council will re-allocate $700,000 from its capital works program to support the delivery of the Sunbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre water play area.
The re-allocation comes after the council allocated $3.1 million in its 2024–25 capital works program to replace the existing outdoor toddler pool area at the Sunbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
This was inclusive of $1.3 million committed by the state government.
The project will replace the centre’s toddler pool area with an improved accessible entry area and a zero-depth water play area
According to a report to the July 22 council meeting, price escalations had affected the project budget, meaning there was a funding shortfall to deliver the project.
The report recommended the council re-allocate $700,000 towards funding the play area.
Sunbury resident Chris O’Neal said he supported the re-allocation, and that Hume has “neglected Sunbury” to focus on other areas.
“It’s left us with rundown, inadequate facilities. Finally, when we are getting basic facilities, we see massive cost overruns – but it’s not just this project,” Mr O’Neal said.
Cr Jodi Jackson said re-allocating funding to deliver the play area will help address a need for better aquatic facilities in Sunbury.
“We know that we have thousands of children on our wait list for ‘learn to swim’ programs, and it should have been something that we prioritised before now … we’re leaving them without sufficient ‘learn to swim’ programs,” Cr Jackson said.
Cr Jackson said that the Greenvale Indoor Cricket Centre was an example of the council prioritising projects in the past, and that a similar approach should have been taking earlier with swimming facilities for the Sunbury community.
