Councillors from the City of Gosnells have lashed out at the WA Labor Party over a $2 million funding pledge towards the ambitious Sutherlands Park Leisure, Aquatic and Sports Hub (SPLASH) project.
The City of Gosnells has been seeking $66 million in external funding to support the construction of the $132 million SPLASH project.
Among those voicing their discontent are several councillors with current and former ties to the WA Liberal Party, who argue that the $2 million pledge falls well short of what is needed for the project.
The city has even spent around $24,000 on a campaign to garner support for the project, asking locals to sign a letter of support and contact their local members of parliament.
WA Labor’s commitment is $2 million more than the WA Liberals, who have currently pledged nothing towards SPLASH or the Sutherland Park Master Plan.
If built, the SPLASH would feature an eight-lane outdoor pool, indoor leisure and learn-to-swim pools, a spa, sauna, crèche, café, and multi-sport indoor courts.
Southern River MLA Terry Healy said he has been working closely with the City of Gosnells on the project and expressed his eagerness to see a pool built at the site, which is located adjacent to Sutherlands Park on the corner of Southern River Road and Holmes Street.
He believes the project can be completed in stages to get it started sooner rather than later, and hopes to secure further funding support moving forward.
“Many will know I have been advocating to the City of Gosnells to build the Sutherlands Park Indoor Pool for years and I’m pleased that under a re-elected WA Labor Government, I will contribute $2 million to progress this project as the first stage of SPLASH,” Mr Healy said.
“I also look forward to seeing the completion of other commitments I’ve made, including finishing the Thornlie-Cockburn Link and Youth Plaza (YES), while also delivering cost of living relief as part of Roger Cook’s team.”
However, in a Facebook post listing similar projects that had received more funding, Mayor Terresa Lynes shared her frustration, claiming the council had not discussed a staged approach and joked about ‘not missing a zero’ in the funding commitments.
Speaking to The Examiner Newspapers, Mayor Lynes clarified that while SPLASH could potentially be built in stages, it is not the preferred option.
“SPLASH is being designed so that it can either be built at once or in stages, however a staged approach is not the preference of Council,” Mayor Lynes said.
“To be cost efficient, the City hopes to build SPLASH all at once. Council has not discussed the finer details of a staged approach.
“Even if only one element of SPLASH was to be built in the first instance, the full costs associated with site preparation, back of house operations and the geothermal bore would be incurred.”
The City of Gosnells has committed $66 million towards the $132 million project. However, $30 million of this funding would be coming from a loan, potentially the biggest loan the city has ever taken out.
The City stated that the loan would be repaid through general municipal revenue, which includes funds generated from rates.
Around 10 years ago, the City borrowed $27 million for the Mills Park redevelopment in Beckenham, a loan which has since been repaid without impacting rates.
Peter Abetz, former Member for Southern River with the WA Liberal Party and current City of Gosnells Councillor, who was defeated by Terry Healy in the 2017 election, recently made a scathing attack on Facebook, criticising Healy over the $2 million SPLASH pledge and for taking some credit for the Youth Entertainment Space (YES) at Sutherlands Park on a flier.
“The same flier tells residents that he – Terry Healy – wants “… to hear from you what the future stages of the aquatic facility will look like”,” Abetz said.
“That is quite bizarre – it is the city’s project, and any comments as to the design should be directed to the city, not to Terry Healy.”
However, Abetz’s comments seem to conflict with what the City of Gosnells has been asking residents to do.
The City has been calling on residents to contact their local MPs, with ‘Contact our local MPs’ listed as the very first prompt on the SPLASH ‘Your Say’ webpage, under the ‘How to Get Involved’ section, where Mr Healy’s name is listed.
The $6.5 million YES Plaza, which is nearing completion, received $2 million in funding from the State Government.
Fellow Gosnells councillor David Goode, who is running as the Liberal candidate for Hasluck in this year’s federal election, agreed with Peter Abetz’s statement and also shared his disappointment.
“The City of Gosnells has been trying to develop Sutherlands Park, including an aquatic centre, for more than a decade. Our people deserve it. 137,000 people and no 50-metre pool. Unbelievable really,” Mr Goode said.
Mayor Terresa Lynes said she will continue to seek support to get SPLASH built.
“With a warming climate and the city already providing an indoor pool at Leisure World, an outdoor pool is desperately needed by the community,” she said.
“The councillors and I believe our community needs and deserves an indoor and outdoor pool, we will continue to advocate to all parties for our residents.”
Although the future of the full SPLASH project remains uncertain for now, a new sports hub in the city is on its way with the $13.1 million Langford Indoor Sports Centre currently under construction.
This project has been partially funded by $5 million from the Federal Government and $1.5 million from the State Government.
The City of Gosnells has confirmed to The Examiner Newspapers that it has currently not received any funding commitments for any of its proposed initiatives or projects from the State or Federal Liberal Party.
