Canberra Liberals pledge to build multi-purpose sporting arena with swimming pool in Woden

The Canberra Liberals have promised to build a new multi-purpose sporting area with an Olympic-sized swimming pool in Woden if elected to government after the 19 October election.

“We are committing to a $5-million initial investment into design of the area,” Murrumbidgee MLA Ed Cocks told media at a press conference on Thursday (3 October).

“We are looking at three potential sites… the existing Phillip Pool precinct, east of the Phillip Business District and the site that might make the most sense – the old Woden CIT site. This is a site Labor walked from years ago, all we’ve got there now is a temporary car park.

“We’ll look at each of the sites, each of them has different benefits and we’ll find the site that makes the most sense.”

Mr Cocks said the facility would also include water slides, a splash park, hydrotherapy pool, as well as community meeting and event spaces.

How much will it cost?

“You wouldn’t ask a builder to quote a house without having the plans to do so,” he said.

“Similar facilities around the country have been delivered for $40 million to $50 million range.”

Phillip Pool, the only swimming facility in the Woden area, was sold to property developer Geocon in 2022. It’s been mostly closed for maintenance since then, briefly opening in the summer of 2023/24 before shutting its doors again.

A pool staffer said it would re-open in November 2024, but an exact date was not yet known.

Woden-based independent candidate for Murrumbidgee Fiona Carrick, who narrowly missed being elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2020, has pushed for a public pool and sporting arena in her neighbourhood for years.

“I welcome the Liberals announcement, but what we need is proper planning on how we use these facilities and to balance the need for everything,” she said.

Ms Carrick said the major parties were making “piecemeal” and “last-minute” promises that lacked vision.

“The Murrumbidgee electorate is in desperate need of social infrastructure, the sports arena in Woden, the Molonglo Town Centre and the arterial roads are a priority,” she said.

“The announcement by the Greens for an indoor sports stadium and the Liberals sports arena shows the impact advocacy by a local, committed independent and the local community can have.”

If elected, the independent may share the balance of power and have her say on which major party leads government.

But she said Thursday’s announcement had not swung her towards supporting the Liberals.

“I will hold the next government [whoever it is] to account for the timely delivery of the social and economic infrastructure the Murrumbidgee electorate needs to build our communities and support our quality of life,” she said.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr criticised the Liberals’ announcement for lacking detail.

“If you listened to the Canberra Liberals spokesman this morning, it’s clear they were making it up live on air, their proposal is a thought bubble. They don’t really even have a media release or an idea about what they’re doing here,” he said.

“Where is it going to go? How much is it going to cost? What are you building? These are all the things that remain entirely vague and unanswered.”

Liberals MLA Jeremy Hanson, who also represents Murrumbidgee, said it was Labor that had let southside communities down.

“Despite making a number of promises over the last 23 years, the Labor-Greens government has continually failed to deliver and as a result the people of Murrumbidgee do not have the facilities and basic local maintenance they deserve,” he said.

“For too long the people of Woden, Weston Creek and now Molonglo have been treated as second-class citizens by this government and the Canberra Liberals are committed to properly investing in our suburbs whether it be shopping centres, footpaths or sporting facilities.”

Mr Cocks said a Canberra Liberals government would also duplicate Athllon Drive to improve commute times between Woden and Tuggeranong, build the Molonglo Town Centre and allocate funding for mowing, upgrades to sporting grounds and facilities, and footpath maintenance.