Mond

Thursday, 1 June 2006

SYKES SPEAKS UP FOR SPORTS CLUBS ON WATER

A call for the Bracks Government to reduce the cost of water for local recreation reserves was made in Parliament this week by Bill Sykes, Nationals Member for Benalla.

Dr Sykes used the experiences of Devenish Football/Netball Club and Tatong Football/Netball Club to highlight the additional burden that increased water costs and delays in water projects have on clubs already struggling to get teams on the fields and courts each week.

Dr Sykes’ statement follows:

I wish to draw the attention of the house to the plight of many small country football and netball clubs as they battle for survival. In the Benalla and District Football and Netball League several matches have had to be forfeited this year due to a lack of players. The Devenish Football and Netball Club has been particularly hard hit. To compound its problems, it is facing significant increases in the cost of water for its ground. This is because Goulburn Murray Water is applying tough, user-pay principles to the water used for community recreation facilities. Similarly, the attention of the Tatong community is being diverted from recruiting footballers and netballers because of the protracted negotiations with Goulburn Murray Water and other organisations over putting in a dam to provide emergency water supplies in the event of a drought or fire. The Bracks government could make life a lot easier for small country football and netball clubs by showing some commonsense and compassion in the application of water management policies. In particular, I ask the Bracks government to review its policy of requiring community recreation reserves to purchase water -- or alternatively, to provide grants for the purchase of water and the costs of metering et cetera. I also request the Bracks government to direct organisations such as Goulburn Murray Water to adopt a can-do approach and implement projects such as the Tatong community emergency water supply promptly and efficiently. It is time the Bracks government lived up to its claim to govern for all Victorians.

Media contact: Bill Sykes (03) 5762 2100 or 0427 624 989