LIBERAL Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has ramped up pressure on the Victorian Government to provide funding to complete the Mildura South Regional Sporting Precinct.
Speaking in State Parliament, Ms Lovell sought a funding commitment from Sports Minister Martin Pakula of $10 million to complete the project and the delivery of world-class sporting facilities for Sunraysia.
When completed, the precinct will include a six-court indoor stadium, an AFL-standard oval, outdoor netball and volleyball courts, a new cafe and changerooms, dedicated squash courts, a sports administration hub inside the stadium, additional carparking and a second multipurpose oval.
Ms Lovell’s statement follows Member for Mildura Ali Cupper’s call for the project to be funded in the next State Budget.
The Federal Government has contributed $17.5 million towards stage 1 of the project with Mildura Council ratepayers paying the majority of the rest. The State Government has so far contributed just $3 million.
The $10 million second and final stage of the project is yet to be funded and Ms Lovell called on the Victorian Government to provide these funds from its $2.7 billion Building Works coronavirus response package.
“The Mildura South Sporting Precinct project will not only deliver world-class facilities but is also creating local jobs with more than 200 jobs created during construction alone,” she said.
“The government’s Building Works package is supposed to support communities by keeping locals in jobs and stimulating regional economies and this is a perfect opportunity to support the Mildura region.
“In his visit in September, the minister described himself as a ‘passionate advocate’ for this project, so he needs to put his money where his mouth is and provide the $10 million required to complete it in full.”
