State Election 2022: Labor pledges to build $80m aquatic centre on existing North Adelaide site, if elected
Labor’s promise to spend $80m on a new parklands aquatic centre is not worth the money, SA’s Treasurer says.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The SA Treasurer has rubbished Labor’s promise of a new parklands aquatic centre, saying the Liberals’ Riverbank Arena promise is better value.
An $80m aquatic centre in North Adelaide will be built, the Labor party promises, if they are elected next month, Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said Saturday.
The Opposition has promised the new centre to replace the current ageing facility, or build the new centre on an adjacent corner, should it win government on March 19.
The new centre would be finished by 2026 and would be wholly funded by the State Government, Labor says.
PLEDGE: Labor leader Peter Malinauskas is promising a new $80m aquatic centre at North Adelaide, should his party win the March 19 state election @theTiserpic.twitter.com/rYbPMyz3EN
— Patrick James (@PatJamesNews) February 12, 2022
A 50m lap pool, splashdown play areas and health and wellbeing services would be included in the new plan, and Labor has promised no parklands would be lost during construction.
Mr Malinauskas said the pledge was an investment in the state’s future.
“I think every South Australian is well aware that our health system is in crisis, is under an extraordinary burden, which is why we need to invest in people’s health and well being through physical activity.”
A Labor-led government would “relieve the council” of running the aquatic centre, Mr Malinauskas added.
Labor confirmed that a new centre will be run by the state government, not the Adelaide City Council.
“We will seek to work with a not-for-profit community organisation in the operation of the Aquatic Centre, as is the case at the aquatic centre at Marion with the YMCA,” an Opposition spokesman said.
He said maintaining the Aquatic Centre was hindered by “band aid solutions one after the other”.
“It’s now got to a point where the Adelaide Aquatic Centre is in a state of decay,” he said.
Mr Malinauskas said the new centre would either be built on the current site at Denise Norton Park (Park 2), or an adjacent site within the park.
The current site would be closed for up to 18-months if the new centre redevelops the current facility.
“The choice of the two will be determined by both community consultation, but also engineering analysis about how to get the best outcome,” Mr Malinauskas said.
But Treasurer Rob Lucas hit back at the announcement, and said the state government had been “in discussions with the local government, the city council in particular, for a considerable period of time”.
Mr Lucas said a joint-funded proposal between state, federal and local government had been discussed over the past year.
“I can make it quite clear that the state government’s priorities are not to spend $80 million of taxpayers money on a swimming pool in the parklands.”
He said an $80m budget is “significantly more” than the state government had planned to spend on the proposed “money earning” Riverbank Arena over the next three years, and the state government would also rather invest in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
“The portion of the $80 million we might not spend on a shared facility in the parklands will be further developments in hospitals,” Mr Lucas said.
Early discussions project the state government would spend about $25m in a joint project on the Aquatic Centre, Mr Lucas said.
A sum of about $30m up to 2023/24 would be spent on the Riverbank Arena, Mr Lucas added.
Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor said the council was “actively seeking state and federal government contributions” to redevelop the site.
“Regardless of who wins the next state election, Adelaide needs a new regional Aquatic and Wellbeing Centre,” she said.
Ms Verschoor called for “bipartisan support” for both parties.
In October last year, the Adelaide City Council was considering a $65m plan to build a new centre at a different site in the parklands.
The existing 50-year-old centre near the intersection of Jeffcott Rd and Fitzroy Tce costs ratepayers around $2m a year to operate and maintain.
The future of the North Adelaide site was thrown up in the air after the Adelaide Crows abandoned its plans to establish a new headquarters at the current site last year.
Originally published as State Election 2022: Labor pledges to build $80m aquatic centre on existing North Adelaide site, if elected
Join the conversation
Why SA says ‘no’ to federal call to abolish stamp duty
The SA government has revealed why it does not support federal calls to abolish stamp duty and replace it with a land tax.
Read more
Peak medical body’s warning after shock loss of rural doctor
The sudden retirement of Naracoorte GP Dr Jeff Taylor continues to be the talk of the town, and has triggered concern from the AMA over future medical services.
Read more