Extra $10m for new Sport Hub
A $10 MILLION Christmas president had Dubbo Basketball president Hale Gordon jumping for joy yesterday morning.
The extra state government funding for the long-awaited Dubbo Sport and Wellness Hub was announced in Dubbo by Deputy Premier John Barilaro.
“Hopefully in a couple of years we’ll have a facility for all Dubbo basketball players, but also the outlying areas will have a place to not only come and play but also experience some high performance training, so very exciting,” Mr Gordon said.
“It’ll be great when we have all sorts of sports at the hub, and a cafe. All the activities going on up there with the multi-sports facilities will create its own momentum.”
Mr Barilaro said it’s all part of the government’s drought strategy to keep regional communities thriving, with the NSW Government giving the green light to infrastructure investment that will provide work for local tradespeople, deliver improved amenities for communities, and inject dollars into drought-affected towns.
“The funding will be spent on roads, internet, water and electricity connections, as well as other infrastructure to deliver a first-rate Western Institute of Sport which will have an indoor sports facility at its heart,” Mr Barilaro said.
“The drought has left its mark on many local communities and this funding will help to bring new opportunities for local sporting clubs and deliver much-needed work for local tradies and businesses.
“For a range of reasons, this project has changed shape since the initial announcement was made back in 2018, but we realised it was important to Dubbo and the wider western region, and this funding will ensure the first stage goes ahead,” he said.
Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders hammed it up with a basketball for the cameras, narrowly dodging a fast ball thrown at him by the deputy premier, that prank appearing to underpin the high spirits caused by the funding announcement.
“There’s no doubt that there has been some angst in the community about this project and whether it would proceed, but this funding means that every cent of the $23.3 million that is available for the stadium component has been provided by the NSW Government,” Mr Saunders said.
“I’ve been in constant contact with the Deputy Premier about this project and how important it is, and I thank him for recognising the importance of this project to Dubbo and the surrounding regions.
“This funding will keep people in work by putting dollars into pay packets for tradies, suppliers and other workers, and in turn flow money through local businesses such as cafes, retail stores and local services,” Mr Saunders said.
The Dubbo Sports Hub is a collaboration between the NSW Government, Charles Sturt University, NSW PCYC, Dubbo Regional Council and NSW sports clubs to create new opportunities for people living in the Central West.
* John Ryan is an elected councillor on Dubbo Regional Council.