2 May 2022

Labor pledges $800,000 to expand Weston Creek Tennis Club

| Ian Bushnell
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Weston Creek Tennis Club

Weston Creek Tennis Club will be able to build new hard courts. Photo: Ian Bushnell.

The Weston Creek Tennis Club will receive $800,000 for new and upgraded tennis courts if Labor is elected on 21 May, an expansion that will allow it to meet the increasing demand from the growing Molonglo Valley.

Labor Member for Bean David Smith and ACT Minister for Sport Yvette Berry announced the commitment at a meeting with members from the club and Tennis ACT.

The project will build four new acrylic hard courts and upgrade some of the current courts to acrylic hard courts.

The ACT Government will contribute $100,000 to the project and Tennis Australia will also provide funding.

Mr Smith said new residents in the Molonglo Valley were driving up participation in local sport across the area, including tennis.

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“This new funding is a win-win – Tennis ACT and the local club get new and upgraded courts and the community gets a greater opportunity to enjoy the game of tennis,” Mr Smith said.

“I know how valuable community sport is, and this $800,000 commitment will provide more courts for more games and more coaching here at the Weston Creek Club.”

Ms Berry welcomed the commitment from Federal Labor into Canberra’s suburbs.

“Tennis in the ACT is booming. There are over 32,000 Canberrans who enjoy the sport, and this facility will help tennis continue to grow in our city’s south,” she said.

Tennis ACT CEO Kim Kachel said the sport was thriving in the ACT with record participation and continued growth on the back of one of the most exciting Australian Opens to date, and people returning to activity post-COVID.

“This project will see a great boost in participation – tennis is a sport for all and a sport for life,” he said.

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“Weston Creek, like many clubs, is at capacity and has long been identified as a priority for expansion to keep up with the growing demand and begin to service key areas of the Molonglo growth corridor.”

Weston Creek Tennis Club president Peter Ward said the more than 50-year-old club was thrilled to have the opportunity to expand its facilities.

“The club was first established in 1971 and it has been a wonderful and valuable community asset for Weston Creek and its surrounds for many years,” he said.

“The upgrade will provide a major benefit to the citizens of Weston Creek, Molonglo and the surrounds, and will ensure the club continues to provide a valued and well-maintained community tennis facility for many years to come.”

Ms Berry said that if an Albanese Labor Government were elected, the ACT Government would have a partner it could work with constructively to ensure the ACT got its fair share of Commonwealth funding and investment.

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And if you’re wondering why polices promise cash to clubs, it’s coz
1. the parents of the kids who train there want to help their kids develop and be their best. Two votes there, per kid.
2. For the site staff, they’ll all vote for the money.
3. For the adults who use it, this is what will likely push the swing voters over.

Sports grants and cash to clubs is quite a straight forward way for pollies to pork barrel. Roads and bridges take too long and nobody cares. But pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into a small/medium sized entity in one or two years straight after the election, job done, seat won!

Looks like ALP is keen to neutralise Zed’s ridic commitment for the black spot crash site funding at Brierly/Hindmarsh intersection, and splash some me-too cash across the area.

The site actually needs more floodlights and some CCTV towers to help discourage eshays milling about the cul-de-sac and skate bowl. That’d only cost $100K. Nuffink sexy there.

Bridget McKenzie would be like, $800,00?! hold my beer. . .

Post election (all parties) – back to sleep on the benches dreaming about ripping off the taxpayer

Will this be yet another empty pre-election promise like the one back in 2019 for the $6 million dollar indoor netball centre at Calwell with a 50/50 federal and ACT government funding split.

If all the initial reasons were valid (and there’s been plenty of independent reports about the lack of indoor sporting facilities in the south of Canberra) and the priority so important just a few years ago, why did Mr Smith dump this commitment for his local constituents?

https://the-riotact.com/6-million-labor-election-promise-for-new-tuggeranong-indoor-sports-complex/297031

That ALP pledge was their attempt at a me-too cash splash. Zed had pledged money to the South Canberra Gymnastics Club in Wanniassa, the PCYC, netball in Lyneham, as well as infrastructure like the William Slim Drive upgrade, the Monaro Hwy upgrade.

If all these clubs need facilities so badly, where is the criticism of the ACT Labor govt, starving community clubs for nearly two decades?

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