‘Affordability’ funding aims to get more people out playing sport in Townsville

A range of ‘affordability measures’ will be rolled out over the next year to support Townsville’s community groups and sporting organisations to get more locals involved.

Football Queensland General Manager Northern Declan Carnes and Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill at the Murray Sports Precinct. Picture: Leighton Smith.

The leader of Townsville’s “biggest sport by far” has praised Townsville City Council’s latest budget for its financial support to make it cheaper for locals to get active.

On Wednesday, councillors voted to adopt the 2023/24 budget which featured a range of affordability measures, worth $29.6m, to support the community in the face of rising costs of living and enhance residents’ quality of life.

They included concessions, a first home buyers incentive, peppercorn leases, city activation and jobs growth incentive, grants, and community events.

Football Queensland General Manager Northern Declan Carnes said the 12 club parks and 4500 participants, benefitted from the support measures.

He said they had $1 annual peppercorn lease, and council reduced their toilet costs by 50 per cent and water costs by 70 percent, leaving them with money to pay for rubbish collections, keep costs down for participants, and invest in infrastructure upgrades and training programs.

Football Queensland General Manager Northern Declan Carnes with $750,000 in LED lighting to be installed by late July. It was helped by a $500,000 contribution from the state government. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“(It) does cost a lot to run a facility like this (at the Murray Sports Precinct) with 23 fields in operation,” Mr Carnes said.

“When I first took over, the annual rates with water was up around $90,000 and that’s significantly come back to around $34,000.

“We’ve worked very well with counsel and we appreciate what they’ve done for us.”

The council grants had also helped them install solar panels.

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said council was helping in other ways like creating additional car parking at the precinct.

“If we can continue to put downward pressure on what we do with sporting clubs and sporting facilities and all our community assets, it just makes it that little bit easier for the community to be able to participate in activities,” Cr Hill said.

Given that their building had been broken into five times over the past year, incurring $50,000 in damage and stolen items, Mr Carnes welcomed council budgeting $14.9m of anti-crime measures, particularly the Park Boulder Protection Program.

“To see cars go through those parks is disheartening so that support with the boulder program is definitely welcomed,” he said.

An additional $2m will be spent to protect Victoria Park, Wulguru Sports Park, Greenwood Park, Lakeside Park, Burt Street Sports Field, Aitkenvale Park, Cutheringa Park, and Riverway Sports Field.

Council’s $15m cash splash to crack down on crime

A sporting club that had its field destroyed by hoons nine times in the past year is one of the next in line to be protected by boulders.

Townsville City Council’s has announced $14.9m in anti-crime measures, including $2m for the expansion of the boulder program, in the 2023/24 budget.

Outgoing Townsville Western Suburbs Cricket Club President Peter Raffles was delighted to hear that West End’s Cutheringa Park would be a beneficiary of a $2m expansion of the council’s Park Boulder Protection Program, along with Victoria Park in South Townsville, Wulguru Sports Park, Greenwood Park in Kirwan, Lakeside Park off Golf Links Drive, Burt Street Sports Field at Mundingburra, Aitkenvale Park at Aitkenvale, as well as Riverway Sports Field.

The boulders have been a successful addition to parks, stopping hoons — often in stolen cars — ripping up sporting fields.

While the council was left to foot the repair bill for the numerous “intrusions”, Mr Raffles said it cost the club in wasted volunteer hours.

One incidents, just days before the club was to host the Queensland North Country Championships, was especially devastating.

“There was a Toyota HiAce that had been across the pitch, ripped the field up, it was tough,” Mr Raffles said.

“(Another time we arrived) there at eight in the morning and a ute was still running, abandoned under a tree.”

There had also been three break in attempts and they had found rubbish and syringes dumped in their roof guttering.

Mr Raffles wanted more done to get kids playing sport, keeping them out of trouble, learning respect, following rules, and developing social skills.

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill acknowledged that community safety and crime were major concerns.

While the council was limited in how it could respond, she said nearly $15m was allocated in TCC’s 2023/24 budget for “immediate projects that make an immediate impact”, like the Boulder Protection Program, which stopped hoons in their tracks.

The council will also expand its CCTV, Community Response Vehicle, and Community Safety Audit initiatives.

“With our CRV program, more resources are going to directing teams of professional security specialists into crime hot spots,” Cr Hill said.

“They will monitor, deter and assist the Queensland Police Service in tracking down people engaging in crime and anti-social behaviour.

“By boosting the resources for these patrols, we are providing a strong 24-hour-a-day presence at our community spaces and giving the residents the confidence to go out and enjoy them

safely.”

She said the appointment of a Community Safety Auditor, former police officer Clint Drew was having an immediate impact.

“By engaging with most of our divisional councillors, key stakeholders in the community, and working closely with the Queensland Police, council’s auditor is building data and collating information that will inform future investments and make a real difference,” she said.

“Audit data will provide council the ability to make sound and informed decisions around future investments.”

Townsville City Councillor Maurie Soars. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Community Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability Committee chairperson Maurie Soars said budget had $1.8 million allocated for the operation and maintenance of council’s more than 500-camera CCTV network and seven mobile CCTV trailers.

“Our extensive CCTV network has the benefits of helping to protect our community assets while also assisting police to identify culprits,” Cr Soars said.

“On average Council receives more than 500 requests each year from police for surveillance data and it is a great example of how we work closely with authorities to help them identify these offenders.”

Originally published as ‘Affordability’ funding aims to get more people out playing sport in Townsville