The space squeeze shutting families out of libraries, public pools

When “rhyme time” happens at the small public library in Williams Landing, staff have to leave the room.

The sessions pull a big audience, and the room has space for just 49 people, so the librarians step outside to allow a few more children to squeeze in.

Wren O’Brien and Lily Zhang at Williams Landing’s small library, where staff have to leave the room so more children can join in “rhyme time”.Credit: Jason South

Williams Landing’s “library lounge” is one of a handful of pint-sized libraries scattered around the City of Wyndham that provide basic services such as printing and scanning, and a modest collection of books to borrow.

But these council-run facilities can’t hope to meet demand in a part of Melbourne that is rapidly expanding with young families. Even Wyndham’s five full-sized library branches are regularly overwhelmed by demand.

In neighbouring Point Cook, 170 people showed up for a recent Saturday rhyme time session, but the room has capacity for just 130, so families were turned away.

Wyndham Mayor Mia Shaw says the council has plans for two new libraries at a cost of $30 million each, but lacks the funding.

Premier Jacinta Allan during a press conference at Werribee Outdoor Pool in January.Credit: Paul Jeffers

“In the past, public libraries were funded through a 50/50 partnership between the state and local councils,” Shaw says. “Over the years, the state’s contribution has declined to just 17 per cent, leaving councils to cover the remaining 83 per cent.”

Having a swim at a public pool is even more difficult than visiting a library in Wyndham: there are just two aquatic centres in a city with more than 300,000 residents.

Ease of access to a library or a public pool is a measure of relative advantage in Melbourne.

Residents of Melbourne’s established suburbs tend to be well served, but this is not the case on the city’s outskirts, where the population is surging.

In the worst case, in the City of Melton in the outer west, two libraries and one ageing aquatic centre serve a population of more than 200,000 people.

Independent advisory body Infrastructure Victoria says the unequal access to public pools and libraries across greater Melbourne should be addressed urgently. It says state government funding is no longer adequate to build the regional-scale infrastructure the city’s fastest-growing communities need.

Melbourne’s seven outer suburban growth area councils need a funding boost, in the range of $300 million to $500 million, for public libraries and aquatic centres, the agency says in its draft 30-year infrastructure strategy, released on Tuesday.

Access is unequal and getting worse, the report says, listing Melton, Wyndham, Casey and Cardinia as the council areas with the greatest need for new facilities.

One of Melton’s two libraries, which serve a population of more than 200,000 people.Credit: Greg Briggs

“There is one library for every 62,000 residents in Melbourne’s growth areas,” the report states. “In established suburbs, there is one library for every 30,000 people. Similarly, growth areas have one aquatic centre for every 82,000 residents, compared to every 58,000 people in established suburbs.”

The report suggests that cash-strapped councils should even consider co-locating pools and libraries with other facilities such as TAFEs, gymnasiums and meeting rooms to save money.

Infrastructure Victoria’s finding that residents of Melbourne’s growth area councils are increasingly being short-changed by government is backed by analysis from Public Libraries Victoria showing a 20 per cent decline in total funding for libraries per person in the decade to 2023/24.

Ten years ago, federal state and local governments spent a combined $39.25 per person on Victorian libraries. Last year, adjusted for inflation, the figure had fallen to $31.90.

This has been compounded by a change in the funding distribution formula in 2018, which stopped factoring in population growth.

“Libraries in some of Victoria’s fastest-growing and most disadvantaged communities are now chronically underfunded,” Public Libraries Victoria says in its pre-budget submission to the Allan government.

Public Libraries Victoria chief executive Angela Savage says libraries perform a diverse range of social functions today, acting as a kind of community glue. “One of the things we hear people say time and time again is, when you’re new to a place, go to the library,” she says. “That’s where you go to find out what’s going on in your community. That’s where you go to practise your English conversation. It’s where you go to access reading materials for free, also in languages other than English.

“There are a lot of libraries, including Melton, for example, that will assist with citizenship tests and things like that. So it’s a really important resource for all communities, but particularly in those growth communities.”

In Melton, a second – mostly council-funded – aquatic centre is due to open in 2028. The council also has long-term plans to build four more libraries, but there is no funding yet.

City of Melton Mayor Steve Abboushi says the council can’t fund community infrastructure on its own, adding that new public library and aquatic centres should be equally funded by the Australian and Victorian governments, along with local councils. “Together, local councils and the Victorian and Australian governments can co-invest in these positive outcomes for our community,” he says.

City of Casey Mayor Stefan Koomen says the municipality – the state’s largest with close to 400,000 residents – has three public pools and five library branches.

Credit: Matt Golding

There are plans for three new library branches and one aquatic centre, but no funding has been committed. “In our experience, the level of funding available through current Victorian government grants are far below what is needed to deliver facilities of this scale,” Koomen says.

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