By Aaron Cordy
IT was a round of election promises in 2022 that were going to finally give Shepparton the basketball stadium it deserved, but instead of being a slam dunk the ball never touched the backboard.
When the state coalition pledged $20m to boost the $15m from local and $25m from federal governments for the stadium upgrade it seemed job done on the local front. Fast forward to last year, when work on the stadium had not begun, the invested stakeholders for the stadium began the cry for the upgrade.
Fast forward again to last week and a media release from the Nationals Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe, about the stadium in which the Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence said, “I am advised that the Victorian Government has not received a funding application for the Shepparton Sport and Events Centre.”
“We encourage the Greater Shepparton City Council to consider applying for a grant through our funding programs including the Regional Community Sports Infrastructure Fund which is now open, and to continue liaising with Sport and Recreation Victoria,” said a Victorian Government spokesperson.
Despite getting approval for the stadium, the Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence and the Rumbalara Re-life Project after an amendment was made in 2019, which Council adopted, it appears the Shepparton Sports Stadium Committee completely miss shot when they secured promises from a party that didn’t get elected and they didn’t do their due diligence with the Labor Government who remained in power.
“A planning application is not required as the Shepparton Sports and Events Centre redevelopment is under an Incorporate Document, which has already been approved by the Minister,” said Mayor, Cr Shane Sali.
“Recent discussions with the government have shown that a build cost of this nature was unlikely to be made a priority project by the state, for Council to then advocate to the Federal Government for additional funding. These projects require three tiers of government – federal, state and local.
“Council understands how important this project is for the region and we cannot expect the community to wait for the perfect environment for Council to secure the necessary funding.
“Because of this, Council is now revisiting the plans and looking at ways to best absorb any relevant grants. We will have more information to share on this as soon as possible, likely mid-2024.”
What that means is for the stadium in the short and long term seems to be a lot of political dribble. And what of the $25m pledged by the Federal government? Is it backed by the Albanese Government or the Coalition, leaving us just more hoop dreams?
