Community's view needed (#821)

As reported in the Bulletin #820, DACCI’s efforts to tap into a major source of federal government funds for the Denmark Aquatic Centre are now formally underway. 

The $1 billion Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF) is designed to help Australia’s regions to grow, and to become strong and vibrant.  It is supporting dynamic communities and enhancing liveability across the country.  The RDAF is part of the federal Government’s larger $4.3 billion package for regional infrastructure.  It demonstrates that when communities identify priorities, build partnerships and leverage funding, the Commonwealth Government will come on board.

Rounds One and Two of the RDAF have delivered $350 million to support 81 projects to regional communities with a total value of $1.2 billion.  New and upgraded infrastructure is assisting local economies to better respond to growth and to diversify.  In particular, sports infrastructure is enabling young people in regional communities to become active and to compete on quality facilities.  In the case of aquatics, the same infrastructure delivers significant health benefits across all age groups and is as important to social wellbeing and development as a new road. 

Clearly, RDA offers a partnership with the federal government that cannot be overlooked.

But we need to remember that, whether or not we may be successful in this round of RDAF, we must continue to nurture existing partnerships and build new ones.  Of these, we need continuing support from the Department of Sport and Recreation.  In August, regional staff arranged a workshop on funding possibilities with key input from head office resulting in valuable advice about state government partnerships.  In September next year we will be seeking state government assistance via the Community Sports and Recreation Facility Fund [CSRFF].

The most important partnership of all is, however, the community itself.  The need for a pool is well established, but the question of willingness to pay has yet to be settled.  Although Council’s support for DACCI’s EOI was strong (10/2) it is conditional.  It needs to know just how much the community is willing to pay to subsidise this important aquatic infrastructure.  Council will ask the community to declare its readiness to accept an “appropriate” rate rise.

 

What counts as appropriate?  Well DACCI’s conservative estimate is that as long as the facility is modest, well designed and efficiently managed the subsidy should be no more than 7% of the average rate ($1215 in 2012/13).   This corresponds to $1.64 per week … just a little more than the cost of a newspaper.

In the coming weeks DACCI looks forward to workng in partnership with Council staff, architects and engineers to test the robustness of it’s figures so that when the question is asked, ratepayers will be able to examine the evidence for themselves.

Cyril Edwards,
Vice President, Denmark Aquatic Centre Committee Inc., [DACCI].