ON THE OUTER: Shire excluded from Growing Suburbs Fund

THE Surf Coast Shire has lost access to an important source of funding for major projects, with the municipality again excluded from the state Labor Government’s Growing Suburbs Fund.

In its 2023/24 Budget, the state government cut the Growing Suburbs Fund – which supports the construction of critical local infrastructure – from $50 million to $10 million.

The fund was originally limited to Melbourne’s 10 interface councils but expanded in 2020 to include six peri-urban councils experiencing strong population growth, including the Surf Coast Shire.

On Friday last week, however, the state government tightened the eligibility of the Growing Suburbs Fund to rule out peri-urban councils, such as the Bass Coast, Golden Plains and Moorabool shires.

After it became eligible for the fund, the shire applied for $4 million to go towards the Surf Coast Aquatic and Health Centre in Torquay North and received $3.5 million in April 2021, and unsuccessfully applied in September 2021 for $7.5 million for the Surf Coast Cultural Centre in Torquay.

The $46.8 million Surf Coast Aquatic and Health Centre has yet to begin construction, and Polwarth Liberal MP Richard Riordan raised the Growing Suburbs Fund allocation to the centre in a constituency question to Local Government Minister Melissa Horne on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday this week.

“Surf Coast sits alongside Baw Baw and other shires that have been relying on this extra support to local government in the fastest growing regional communities in the state,” Mr Riordan said.

“They don’t have that funding, the Surf Coast needs its pool, will that funding be guaranteed?”

Surf Coast Shire acting executive manager of strategic projects and partnerships Darryn Chiller said the Growing Suburbs Fund gave fast-growing councils such as the shire an opportunity to deliver community infrastructure at a rate that kept pace with housing growth.

He said supported projects included wayfinding infrastructure in Torquay and a riverside recreation link in Winchelsea.

“While we don’t yet have all the details, our understanding is that the new criteria apply for the 2023/24 round of the Growing Suburbs Fund, and that grants confirmed in previous rounds will be unaffected.

“Council will seek to discuss the change in eligibility with the Victorian government and continue to advocate strongly for infrastructure funding given the high rate of growth experienced in Surf Coast Shire.”

Peri Urban Councils Victoria chair Cr Michael Leaney said the lobbying group’s member councils were disappointed by the government’s actions.

“We call on the Victorian government to explain to peri-urban communities how things like community centres, libraries, pools, parks, childcare centres and sporting facilities can now be built without funding assistance from the state.

“Peri-urban councils, just like all councils across the state, are rate capped, so local government is not in a position to fill this funding void.

“Federal grant programs also designed to support growing communities require contributions from other parties.”

He said removing peri-urban areas from the fund would create “a growing infrastructure divide” between councils working to accommodate new growth.