$2.5 Million Redevelopment of the Warragul Sporting and Social Club

The Warragul Sporting and Social Club has plans to improve its Victoria Street facilities for members and guests. The revamp will cost around $2.5 million and will include renovations to the bistro, lounge, functions and entertainment areas.

Jenny Smith, general manager of the Club, said she was very excited about the opportunity to add another dimension to the hospitality offering in Warragul.

She said, “Apart from raising the bar for entertainment in the district, the development will provide locals with increased employment and professional training in hospitality and tourism.

“I have young children and I want them to have the opportunity to find rewarding careers at home. This development will add a further destination for visitors to the Gippsland area.

“I am proud that the Club, a communityowned not-for-profit organisation, can make this significant contribution to the publicly owned social capital in the town.

“The Club is owned by its members and membership is open to everyone in Warragul and surrounds, 100% of our profits are applied to our community purposes.

“We don’t pay rent to out-of-town landlords, we employ local staff, we buy locally, and this development will increase our local investment and have a huge multiplying effect on the local economy.

“The Club fulfills a very important role, keeping locals connected and involved, as well as supporting other community organisations.

“In the past 10 years we have provided over $450,000 to support local groups. Last year the Club committed its resources to an amalgamation with the Longwarry Bowls Club to ensure the Bowls Club’s continued viability as a local sporting facility.

“It is immensely gratifying to see how successful the amalgamation has been for the Longwarry bowlers and also how appreciative other groups are of the support the Club offers.”

The project will be funded from reserves, borrowings and tax savings from a proposed increase in the number of gaming machines at the venue.

Jenny said that it is not expected that there will be any significant increase in gaming expenditure from the extra machines, but the way that state gaming taxes are levied means that the more machines in a venue the less tax is paid to Spring Street and more of the gaming dollars remains with the Club for distribution.

The Club will apply to the VCGLR for a further 20 EGMs. Even with the same gaming turnover, the reduction in tax will improve bottom line and the Club will commit at least $25,000 a year to an independently administered community fund in addition to continuing its current community support.

Jenny Smith said that it is not about increasing gaming expenditure but the added machines will keep the Club competitive, in particular against the prospect of further outof-towners installing machines in for-profit venues where rents and management fees divert gaming dollars to individuals and not community groups.

“Gaming is, on the whole, a matter of choice, but some people may have problems,” Jenny said, “and the culture in community clubs like ours is recognised as being less problematic for gamblers than for-profit providers.

“We pride ourselves on the Club’s commitment to the well-being of all our members and guests. To a large extent this investment is a pre-emptive move to protect an iconic community asset against predatory for-profit opportunists.

“It is a vote of confidence by the members in their town, and community enterprises.”