Pool scheme under fire

A MERIT-based sports grant scheme for clubs to make facilities more female-friendly was mostly used to fund swimming pools in ultra-marginal seats such as Corangamite, Labor claims.

The $150 million female facilities and water safety stream program, announced by the Coalition less than two months before the 2019 election, is under scrutiny.

The program was funded in

The “meme artist” took to a wall of The Deck hotel in Gheringhap St on Wednesday to finish his third mural depicting the former Los Angeles Lakers player, who died alongside his daughter and seven the 2019 Budget to provide female changerooms and swimming pool upgrades.

But Labor says there were no guidelines and no public tender opportunities for councils or clubs to make an application, with more than $90 million fund earmarked for a cash splash on 14 new pools in marginal seats.

Analysis shows $60 million went to four pools in two marginal Liberal-held seats — Corangamite (0.03 per cent) and Pearce in WA (3.5 per cent). others in a helicopter crash in the US on January 26.

The mural includes late rapper Tupac Shakur and The Fast and the Furious actor Paul Walker with halos above their heads.

Sarah Henderson lost Corangamite to Labor’s Libby Coker at the election, while Attorney-General Christian Porter retained Pearce.

In Corangamite, $20 million was pledged for a 50m Torquay pool and $10 million for a 50m outdoor pool in the North Bellarine.

Feasibility studies for both have started despite neither Surf Coast nor the City of Greater Geelong applying for funding.

Deputy Opposition Leader

Bryant’s halo crown.

Lushsux first posted a video of him finishing his first Bryant mural on Budd St, Collingwood, on January 29, alongside the caption, “Should I go is also a and Corio MP Richard Marles said the Government was drowning in rorts.

“This wasn’t a grant program for female changerooms, it was $150 million of taxpayers money poured into Coalitionheld marginal seats in a desperate bid to provide an electoral life raft,” Mr Marles said.

Ms Coker said the scheme should be investigated.

G21 chief executive Elaine Carbines said the CoGG had twice applied for federal funding for the Northern ARC, for a three-peat of walls for Kobe?” A day later a second mural was posted, with the caption “back to back”.

More than 60,000 people have clicked “like” on the Geelong mural so far. which included a pool, and had been knocked back.

The Health Department said the $150 million fund was spent in the election campaign.

“The FFWSS program was not open to applications for grants. The projects were selected as election commitments,” a spokeswoman said.

Senator Henderson said she was “appalled” at the campaign to undermine the Government’s commitment to provide $20 million for the Surf Coast aquatic centre.

“These funding commitments were the result of an incredible amount of hard work on my part,” she said.

Surf Coast councillors are worried that building the pool will require a major capital contribution from the council.

Chief executive Keith Baillie anticipated the feasibility study would take 3-4 months.

Labor had pledged $15.3 million towards a 25m indoor pool for Torquay and $200,000 for a feasibility study into a North Bellarine pool.