State says city should ‘get out of the way’ of Games projects

THE Victorian government says the City of Greater Geelong is “playing political games” as the city continues pushing for a new regional indoor sports and events centre (RISEC) over an aquatic facility.

Following the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the government pledged to deliver $2 billion worth of legacy infrastructure to regional Victoria.

In Geelong, these projects include a community sports complex in Waurn Ponds, an aquatic centre in Armstrong Creek, and an upgrade of the Stead Park Hockey Centre in Corio.

The city wants RISEC to replace the Armstrong Creek aquatic centre, a move the Victorian government opposes.

Speaking at the opening of Kardinia Park’s new Joel Selwood Stand on Tuesday this week, Premier Jacinta Allan called on the city to get on board.

“There’s a number of sporting venues that we are ready to go and get on with delivering for the broader Geelong region and we simply say to the local council, put the politics aside and let’s get on with the delivery of these next set of sporting infrastructure upgrades,” she said.

“We really want the council to get on with it and join us with the projects.”

South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman said Armstrong Creek was a growth corridor projected to swell to a population of more than 60,000 people in the coming years.

“I cannot name a community anywhere in Victoria that has 60,000 people who do not have access to a local swimming pool.

“The reality is that the Waurn Ponds swimming pool is at capacity. It’s struggling to accommodate the Armstrong Creek community right now and there’s going to be an extra 40,000 living in the Armstrong Creek growth corridor in the years to come.

“The facility is important. It needs to be built. We’re willing to build it. We just need the council to get out of the way.”

He rejected the city’s concerns that building an additional aquatic facility in Armstrong Creek would cannibalise the success of the swimming pools in the surrounding areas, including the new facility slated for the Surf Coast.

“The Surf Coast swimming pool… is being built to service the population of the Surf Coast,” Mr Cheeseman said.

“[It] is not capable and is not envisaged to deal with an extra 40,000 people.”

The city has also previously cited growing demand for basketball and netball facilities in the region as motivation for its RISEC campaign.

Mr Cheeseman said the sporting centre intended for Waurn Ponds would deliver the infrastructure needed to meet those needs, in addition to the Armstrong Creek aquatic facility.

“This community ought to have the opportunity to send their kids to netball and basketball, to play those sports, and to go and do swimming lessons or swim laps.

“Our plan provides for all of those opportunities.”

When asked about the city’s concern that it would have to redirect funds from other projects to maintain the Armstrong Creek facility’s operational costs of approximately $5 million annually, Mr Cheeseman said it was a “core responsibility” of local government to “provide recreational services of their community”.

“The City of Greater Geelong needs to stop playing political games.

“They need to get out of the way and – like they have with every other community across the City of Greater Geelong – they need to agree to fund the recurrent operational costs to run these facilities. That is their responsibility.

“We’re happy to build it; that would be a great outcome for our community. They just need to run it.”