Labor’s netball plans for inner Melbourne criticised for being ‘unplanned’

LABOR’S promise to build more than 60 new netball courts in the inner north gets a once over by Greens and Liberals.

Labor Party Campaign trail...Leader Daniel Andrews at Ballarat station for redevelopment announcement. Picture : Mike Keating.

LABOR has promised to build more than 60 new netball courts in Yarra, Melbourne, Moreland and Darebin to counter the inner-city court shortage.

No locations were specified for the $9.6 million, 64-court plan and Labor aims to work with councils and schools to deliver the courts.

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But the Coalition and the Greens attacked the announcement as an unplanned and desperate effort to stop votes going to the Greens.

Richmond state Labor MP Richard Wynne said the competition-ready courts would benefit thousands of players, umpires, coaches, supporters and potential players who have been missing out.

“We will be working with councils and looking at State Government land that might be available because we know that both basketball and netball are booming sports in inner-Melbourne and we’ve got a massive deficit of these facilities,” Mr Wynne said.

Labor said the netball participation rate for the four municipalities was 0.66 per cent — well below the state average of 2.3 per cent.

The Greens recently announced they supported providing $10 million for a new three-court indoor sport facility at Collingwood College proposed by the Collingwood Basketball Association.

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Greens candidate for Richmond Kathleen Maltzahn said the Collingwood College proposal was a “well-established sporting centre, with a well-progressed business plan and good community support”.

“They would be multipurpose courts available for netball,” she said.

Coalition spokesman Steve Mann said Labor’s announcement was “an unplanned, blatant sandbagging effort against Greens votes”.

Mr Mann said the Coalition invested $21.6 million in community netball facilities across Victoria during the current term, which was more than double Labor’s $10.7 million between 2006 and 2010.

Meanwhile, Socialist candidate for Richmond and Yarra councillor Stephen Jolly said he was pushing for the council to back the Collingwood College proposal.

The council has set aside $3 million for an indoor sports centre, but wants a larger, eight-court facility.

“This is a brilliant site. Now is the time for the council to open the safe and give money to build this thing,” Cr Jolly said.