Arc in need of covenant

Pressure on governments to deliver in north

REGIONAL advocacy bodies have renewed calls for federal and state intervention to break the generational disadvantage in the city’s north.

G21 and Committee for Geelong have banded together to put pressure on governments to fund the Northern Arc health and wellbeing centre, predicted to deliver $111m in health benefits in a decade if built in Norlane.

The city-shaping project has gained $20m in provisional funding from Geelong council but will need money from the state and federal governments to hit its $61.6m price tag.

In March last year the project missed out on a $10m funding injection after the Morrison government overlooked the council’s appeal for funding. The council has pushed the project for more than five years.

If built, the Northern Arc is expected to deliver health, fitness, recreation, cultural and community services, and include a 25m pool, maternal child health facilities and childhood care and have 600,000 visits annually.

G21 chief executive Elaine Carbines said Geelong’s northern suburbs were home to some of the state’s most disadvantaged people.

“While facing critical issues of obesity and declining health, the people of Geelong’s northern suburbs have for too long lacked adequate wellbeing and fitness facilities,” she said.

“Nor do they have adequate community meeting places.”

She said people in Norlane and Corio had lower rates of household income compared with the rest of Geelong, in addition to higher rates of unemployment, need for assistance with self-care and mobility.

Ms Carbines said economic modelling estimated construction of the project could directly and indirectly support up to 111 local jobs, and provide $67m for the local economy.

Committee for Geelong chief executive Jennifer Cromarty said the Northern Arc project would “improve community health and wellbeing in the northern suburbs through a variety of world-class programs and facilities”.

Last year federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Northern Arc had considerable merit. This week he sent the Geelong Advertiser’s questions about the project to the Department of Health.

A spokesman did not respond to a question on the government’s intention to fund the project.

This week Senator Sarah Henderson said there was room to fund further projects under the Geelong City Deal, but the government’s focus was on “expediting the current projects”.

A state government spokeswoman did not offer a firm commitment on funding.

“We are moving on to delivering the Geelong Women’s and Children’s Hospital,” she said.