DIVING IN Coker pledges $15.3 million towards a pool for Torquay

LABOR candidate for Corangamite Libby Coker has made a serious dive into the debate about an aquatic centre for Torquay, pledging $15.3 million towards the facility if her party wins the next federal election.

Local pool campaigners have welcomed a pledge of federal funding to sit alongside a $10 million commitment from the state Labor government, but hope extra money can be raised to make the centre’s facilities as good as possible.

The centre will be built on vacant land reserved by the Surf Coast Shire next to the indoor stadium in Torquay North.

Ms Coker said her $15.3 million pledge would go towards a $25 million centre that would include a 25-metre indoor swimming pool with eight lanes, a fully equipped gymnasium, crèche facilities, a café, a learn-to-swim pool and health facilities.

“My interest is providing a pool that gives people an opportunity for health and wellbeing, but also helps young people to swim, and it’s affordable.”

The Surf Coast Shire council resolved in late 2015 to stop all planning work on its $29 million pool proposal, but Ms Coker (who was a councillor at the time) said the state and federal funding made building a pool “a really viable proposition” for the shire.

Surf Coast Aquatic and Leisure Centre Action Group president Colin Fowler said the commitment was exciting news.

“It puts the council in a position that with a figure like this, they have to act.

“So, we’ve got a lot more work to do – we might do a bit of crowdfunding, the council can now borrow money now they’re almost at the figure we need.”

He said the aquatic centre should have a FINA-approved 50-metre pool and a large hydrotherapy pool, which would
push the cost closer to $35 million but could be offset with sponsorship arrangements with Barwon Health and other organisations.

Incumbent Corangamite Liberal MP Sarah Henderson has campaigned for a pool in Torquay for many years but did not commit to matching the $15.3 million pledge when asked by this newspaper this week.

Instead, she “welcomed this dramatic change of heart” and repeated her criticism of the shire for not applying for funds for the pool through either the Regional Growth Fund or the Building Better Regions Fund.

In her mayor’s column this week (see page 16), Cr Rose Hodge said the council would “revisit the project at a time after the federal election”.