The Canberra Liberals will use a motion on the first ACT Legislative Assembly sitting day for 2017 to call on the ACT Government to take immediate action to ensure that popular Fadden indoor sporting facility and birthday party venue mpowerdome can reopen ten months after it closed citing unsafe and inadequate parking.
Member for Brindabella Andrew Wall said mpowerdome was one of the ACT’s most important sporting venues and that the Government should work with the owners and managers to ensure Canberrans could access its facilities. The popular venue for indoor sports and birthday parties has been closed since last April, citing unsafe and inadequate.
“The mpowerdome has operated as Canberra’s leading venue for sports; including tennis, soccer, netball, volleyball, handball and modified sports for many years and in recent times has seen an average of 144,000 people through its doors who are all in the pursuit of an active lifestyle,” Mr Wall said.
“Even the ACT government’s own report has recognised that the mpowerdome has played, and could continue to play a vital role in the pursuit of the objectives of increasing the ACT community’s physical activity levels, from social through to high performance participation.
“Successive ACT Labor/Green governments have been well aware of the parking constraints facing the operators and have even cited the parking issues as an impediment to the future of the operation in separate reports.
“There is a simple solution and it’s time the Minister sat down with operators and managers of the mpowerdome and worked with them to ensure the continued viability of this important and iconic Canberra sporting venue.”
During the ACT election campaign last August the Canberra Liberals promised $300,000 for improved parking facilities in the Fadden Pines area to ensure mpowerdome could re-open. It was one of the few promises Labor did not match.
At the time, the owner, Gail Aitken said the commitment would mean mpowerdome could re-open if the Liberals won government.
She’d said previously that mpowerdome’s efforts towards reopening had been “continually thwarted by the inadequate parking situation”.
On April 7 last year, mpowerdome published the following note on its Facebook page:
Dear Patrons and Friends,
Your loyalty throughout this final term has been an awesome experience for us all and right now the reality is hitting hard that the 9th April is almost here.
Firstly, I am confirming there will be no activities or services in term 2.
Secondly, I have been asked by the owners of the facility to advise you that there continue to be unresolved matters with the ACT government and that they may require a loud community outcry (e-petition) to take the matter forward.
Therefore, would you please take a moment to send your thoughts concerning the value of the mpowerdome facility to the community to customerservice@mpowerdome.com.au by 30th April so that these comments can be placed before the appropriate local and Federal members.
Thirdly, you will receive an update on how the above two matters are progressing during term 2.
And finally, a huge thank you for the many wonderful memories we have of the past ten incredible years. It has been one heck of a privilege to share the journey with so many. Hoping we see many of you roundabout Canberra.
Gail Aiken
Managing Director
Have you or members of your family participated in sporting events at mpowerdome? Have you attended or held a birthday party there? Did you have any parking difficulties? Do you think the ACT Government should intervene to resolve the parking issues?
Loading ...
