❓ Mr Rundle questions the Minister about cuts to the Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF). The Minister defends the government's investment in sporting infrastructure and addresses concerns about project delivery and cost pressures.
AnsweredQoN 232Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund
232. Mr Peter Rundle to
the Minister for Sport and Recreation:
I refer to the Community Sporting and Recreation
Facilities Fund (CSRFF), which is an initiative dedicated to supporting the
development of sustainable and high-quality infrastructure for sport and
recreation—a fund our regional communities rely on. Despite this government
slashing this valuable and oversubscribed program to just $12 million in
the 2025–26 budget, I ask the following.
(1) In the lead-up to the state budget,
can the minister confirm whether the CSRFF will be reinstated, and, if so,
when?
(2) Will the $12 million in the 2025–26
budget be rolled over to top up funding for the CSRFF in the future?
232. Mr Peter Rundle to
the Minister for Sport and Recreation:
I refer to the Community Sporting and Recreation
Facilities Fund (CSRFF), which is an initiative dedicated to supporting the
development of sustainable and high-quality infrastructure for sport and
recreation—a fund our regional communities rely on. Despite this government
slashing this valuable and oversubscribed program to just $12 million in
the 2025–26 budget, I ask the following.
(1) In the lead-up to the state budget,
can the minister confirm whether the CSRFF will be reinstated, and, if so,
when?
(2) Will the $12 million in the 2025–26
budget be rolled over to top up funding for the CSRFF in the future?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I find this question quite extraordinary
because the member knows exactly what we are doing in relation to the CSRFF. There
are two things. First of all, we are rolling out over $330 million of
sporting and community infrastructure across the state from the state election.
That includes many new initiatives. I look around—for example, the member
for Bunbury. We have the new South West basketball courts.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt, I have
asked you to stop interjecting. That interjection is very much out of order, so
I am going to call you for the first time.
Ms Rita Saffioti: We have millions of dollars for the
Geraldton Netball Association. If members look around, there is money going
across the state with $330 million of commitments being delivered. We are in
the process of doing that. Many projects that we funded a few years ago have
not been implemented by councils, I have to say. That is one of the issues. I
really would like councils, when we fund projects, to actually deliver them.
That is what I really would like. That is some work we are undertaking.
In relation to the
CSRFF, the member knows that many councils and clubs actually have cost
pressures. What have we done? The member approached me, as we know, in relation
to the Esperance Hockey Association and said it has a cost pressure.
Mr Shane Love: A very good local member looking
after their hockey association.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Yes, absolutely.
A government member:
A responsible minister.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Yes, absolutely.
Several members
interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The member approached me saying,
"The Esperance Hockey Association has a cost pressure. Would we consider
it?" Do members know what I did? I looked at the CSRFF—the unallocated
funds—and funded the cost pressures so those projects that were committed to in
previous rounds can actually be delivered. I am really happy that we did that,
because you know what? Our job is delivery. If there is a project that has a
cost pressure, I will use funding to deliver those because people have
expectations.
We have, for
example, funded $720,000 to the Halls Creek Oval, which is another big project
in the member for Kimberley's electorate. Without that oval, there is no
sport—simple as that. There is no footy. We have committed $36,000 extra to the
Melville Cricket Club as well. When there are cost pressures, we have been able
to redirect some existing funding to meet those cost pressures and we will
continue to do that. As I said, we have CSRFF projects that some councils have
failed to deliver. There is one in the member for Wanneroo's electorate that we
committed to in 2021. There is a project that has not been delivered by the
council. There is tens of millions of dollars out there sitting in bank
accounts.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Carry on, minister.
Ms Rita Saffioti: There is tens of millions of dollars
sitting in bank accounts to deliver commitments that we made—all CSRFF. My
focus is on delivery. If there is a project under pressure from a council or
from a club, we are going to support them. That is what we are doing. I am very
committed to the future of CSRFF and I am very committed to the over
$330 million of election commitments. Do you know what else I get? I think
it was in the seat of Collie–Preston. It was Eaton, where we have delivered a
beautiful new upgrade. The club comes up and says, "Thanks, we really
appreciate this upgrade, but we're now getting a commercial rental fee." Everyone
knows this in our electorates. When state governments give money to upgrade a
facility for the benefit of a sport, the sport has increased costs. That is
something that I do not think is fair. If we commit money as a state government
to a club or a council, I expect those clubs to actually
benefit from it—not only the use, but they should not be paying over the
top on usage fees. These are all the issues I would like to address, which is
fair.
I will tell members
that another issue is that clubs in some areas cannot raise the money because
they are not in a very high socio-economic suburb. They cannot raise the money
for their contribution, so we have seen many people in Western Australia miss
out because their association does not have the wealth to put on the table for
matching contributions.
I love sport, as members
know. I love it a lot, and I am so passionate about not only delivering our
facilities, but also making sure that the club is at the heart of what we do, and
that when we deliver, the club or the association gets the benefit. That means
not only delivering on what we said, but also making sure that they do not end
up with exorbitant fees. Also, if there is money sitting in their bank accounts
from commitments they have never delivered, we need to see those delivered. As
members can see, we have spent the CSRFF on projects such as the member for
Roe's, and I am glad that we could do that, where there have been cost
pressures and we wanted to get them delivered.
because the member knows exactly what we are doing in relation to the CSRFF. There
are two things. First of all, we are rolling out over $330 million of
sporting and community infrastructure across the state from the state election.
That includes many new initiatives. I look around—for example, the member
for Bunbury. We have the new South West basketball courts.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt, I have
asked you to stop interjecting. That interjection is very much out of order, so
I am going to call you for the first time.
Ms Rita Saffioti: We have millions of dollars for the
Geraldton Netball Association. If members look around, there is money going
across the state with $330 million of commitments being delivered. We are in
the process of doing that. Many projects that we funded a few years ago have
not been implemented by councils, I have to say. That is one of the issues. I
really would like councils, when we fund projects, to actually deliver them.
That is what I really would like. That is some work we are undertaking.
In relation to the
CSRFF, the member knows that many councils and clubs actually have cost
pressures. What have we done? The member approached me, as we know, in relation
to the Esperance Hockey Association and said it has a cost pressure.
Mr Shane Love: A very good local member looking
after their hockey association.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Yes, absolutely.
A government member:
A responsible minister.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Yes, absolutely.
Several members
interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The member approached me saying,
"The Esperance Hockey Association has a cost pressure. Would we consider
it?" Do members know what I did? I looked at the CSRFF—the unallocated
funds—and funded the cost pressures so those projects that were committed to in
previous rounds can actually be delivered. I am really happy that we did that,
because you know what? Our job is delivery. If there is a project that has a
cost pressure, I will use funding to deliver those because people have
expectations.
We have, for
example, funded $720,000 to the Halls Creek Oval, which is another big project
in the member for Kimberley's electorate. Without that oval, there is no
sport—simple as that. There is no footy. We have committed $36,000 extra to the
Melville Cricket Club as well. When there are cost pressures, we have been able
to redirect some existing funding to meet those cost pressures and we will
continue to do that. As I said, we have CSRFF projects that some councils have
failed to deliver. There is one in the member for Wanneroo's electorate that we
committed to in 2021. There is a project that has not been delivered by the
council. There is tens of millions of dollars out there sitting in bank
accounts.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Carry on, minister.
Ms Rita Saffioti: There is tens of millions of dollars
sitting in bank accounts to deliver commitments that we made—all CSRFF. My
focus is on delivery. If there is a project under pressure from a council or
from a club, we are going to support them. That is what we are doing. I am very
committed to the future of CSRFF and I am very committed to the over
$330 million of election commitments. Do you know what else I get? I think
it was in the seat of Collie–Preston. It was Eaton, where we have delivered a
beautiful new upgrade. The club comes up and says, "Thanks, we really
appreciate this upgrade, but we're now getting a commercial rental fee." Everyone
knows this in our electorates. When state governments give money to upgrade a
facility for the benefit of a sport, the sport has increased costs. That is
something that I do not think is fair. If we commit money as a state government
to a club or a council, I expect those clubs to actually
benefit from it—not only the use, but they should not be paying over the
top on usage fees. These are all the issues I would like to address, which is
fair.
I will tell members
that another issue is that clubs in some areas cannot raise the money because
they are not in a very high socio-economic suburb. They cannot raise the money
for their contribution, so we have seen many people in Western Australia miss
out because their association does not have the wealth to put on the table for
matching contributions.
I love sport, as members
know. I love it a lot, and I am so passionate about not only delivering our
facilities, but also making sure that the club is at the heart of what we do, and
that when we deliver, the club or the association gets the benefit. That means
not only delivering on what we said, but also making sure that they do not end
up with exorbitant fees. Also, if there is money sitting in their bank accounts
from commitments they have never delivered, we need to see those delivered. As
members can see, we have spent the CSRFF on projects such as the member for
Roe's, and I am glad that we could do that, where there have been cost
pressures and we wanted to get them delivered.
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