POLITICAL bickering over the funding of the redevelopment of the Frankston Regional Basketball Centre has bounced back despite the project being given the green light late last year.
The stoush between the Labor and Liberal parties over contributions towards the $12 million first stage of the project has gone into overtime after Frankston councillors decided to again ask the Labor state government for a greater financial contribution.
At the latest public council meeting Cr Darrel Taylor said the state government needs “to be held to account” for not matching federal and council funding for a stadium upgrade to include four extra basketball courts taking the total to ten and upgrades to spectator seating, car parking, change rooms and public toilets.
The federal government will contribute $4.95 million to the project, the state government $2.5 million and council $4 million. The Frankston and District Basketball Association will chip in $1 million towards redevelopment of the Seaford stadium.
“We’re putting in $4 million – more than what the current state government is putting in and yet they want to put rate capping on us,” Cr Taylor said.
“We need to highlight state government failures, I don’t care who [which political party] is in.
“They are putting in the least amount of money and the scope of the project has been reduced to accommodate that. They need to step up to the plate and provide an equal amount of funding – if not more – than the federal government so that this project can be completed because at the moment it’s not a fully completed project.”
The Times understands exterior landscaping works have been scaled back as a result of a funding shortfall for the initial stage one plan.
Crs Taylor, Glenn Aitken, Rebekah Spelman and Michael O’Reilly voted to write to Labor Sports Minister John Eren to demand more money for the first stage. Crs Sandra Mayer, Colin Hampton and mayor Cr James Dooley opposed the move.
“I just don’t think this is going to achieve anything except cause bad blood between us and the state government,” Cr Mayer said.
Cr Dooley called the demand for more money “tasteless” and said “it lacks guile”. The mayor said he is keen to discuss funding with the state government for other sporting projects in the region instead of being drawn back into a dispute over the basketball stadium project.
Labor Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke and Carrum MP Sonya Kilkenny repeatedly blasted the Coalition federal government last year over a failure to commit funding for the stadium upgrade but last week declined to say whether the state government would now match the federal government’s $4.95 million contribution.
Mr Edbrooke referred the question to Ms Kilkenny since the stadium is in the Carrum electorate.
“The Andrews Labor government has committed $2.5 million towards the Frankston Basketball Stadium so that this important project can proceed, and we’re pleased that the federal government has belatedly come on board with its contribution,” Ms Kilkenny said in a statement.
“Finally, this great expansion can now begin and I’m looking forward to all parties getting on with the job without further delay.
“Basketballers in the Frankston and Carrum area have waited long enough for this upgrade to Frankston Basketball Stadium. It’s time this upgrade began.”
Federal Liberal Dunkley MP Bruce Billson urged “the Victorian State Labor government to do the right thing by the Dunkley community, stop playing politics and commit its own funding toward this project”.
“Given the significance of the project and the benefit to our local community, I am unable to understand why the State Labor government has not committed even $1 to the project. The previous Coalition Victorian state government committed the $2.5 million that Labor has attempted to claim as its own contribution.”
