State MPs call for government to intervene over Frankston Basketball Stadium dispute
STATE Government intervention to break a bitter impasse that has derailed a $12 million revamp of the Frankston Basketball Stadium appears increasingly likely.
South East
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STATE Government intervention to break a bitter impasse that has derailed a $12 million revamp of the Frankston Basketball Stadium appears increasingly likely.
Local Labor MPs Sonya Kilkenny and Paul Edbrooke both raised the issue in Parliament and called on Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins to intercede.
They have also spoken to senior officials from Sport Minister John Eren’s office in an attempt to clarify what had gone wrong.
Ms Kilkenny told Parliament she wanted Ms Hutchins to demand the council explain why it had suspended the stadium redevelopment.
“The priority now must be the local community — not a cash grab by Frankston Council,” she said.
“Council needs to lift its game and start the stadium upgrade as soon as possible.”
The project was suspended amid an extraordinary dispute between Frankston and District Basketball Association and the council over lease negotiations.
The FDBA recently released a lengthy statement strongly refuting council’s version of events and accusing it of being misleading.
“If council go down the line of using sporting clubs as ‘cash grab’ opportunities then sport, and by effect our community, will be the loser and that’s not something the FDBA will stand for,” the association said in a statement.
Basketball Victoria released a statement supporting the FDBA’s position and accused the council of making misleading comparisons with other basketball venues.
“This is a capital improvement to a Frankston Council sporting asset and when council imposes extra costs, it is the ratepayers who are the primary users who have to bear this burden,” the Basketball Victoria statement read.
Mayor Brian Cunial said council would not comment on the FDBA claims.
“Council has made its position very clear and will not provide any further comment,” he said.
Cr Cunial said council was committed to ensuring the project would proceed “one way or another”.
Veteran Cr Glenn Aitken, who has championed the stadium project, said councillors should have been better briefed on the negotiations.
“We have not have a sufficient understanding of how this (dispute) will project into the public arena,” he said.