Labor must match Lib-Nats’ Island pool promise

THERE’S no disputing the fact that Wonthaggi’s swimming pool is woefully inadequate for the size of the town now, let alone when the population grows from 8000 to 20,000 residents, as it is expected to do in a short space of time.

And unless we have attractive facilities in Wonthaggi, the town is not going to be able to attract would-be Bass Coast residents away from under-pressure beach locations, including Inverloch and Phillip Island, as written in the shire’s ambitious housing strategy.

But for now, ahead of the Victorian State Election next month, the focus of the candidates in Bass, and the parties striving to win government, should be on funding the Phillip Island aquatic centre first.

The Coalition recognised early in the campaign that funding an aquatics centre on the Island would be a deal breaker for Island voters, and they stumped up a pre-election commitment of $42 million towards the estimated $46 million cost of Stage 1.

Now, we need the Labor Party to match that promise so this election can be a win-win for the Island community.

Certainly, the Labor Party has a pretty good bid for votes on the table already, promising $290 million more for the next stage of the Wonthaggi Hospital.

But, if developments of the sort approved by the Bass Coast Shire Council in the past week, the $200 million, 256-dwelling Lifestyle Communities’ village are any indication, Phillip Island is going to need a lot more in the way of infrastructure to cope.

And it’s not just at the older end of the age bracket.

As we’ve seen at Phillip Island Auskick and with the local football-netball club’s junior programs, the area is absolutely bursting at the seams with kids and young families wanting to engage in sport.

And here we have, one basketball court and one footy ground, suitable for a 1950s Island population… come on!

Perhaps Labor could go one better than the Coalition and make it a $52 million election promise, funding both the aquatic centre and a two-court stadium if they win the election.