NEWCASTLE BACK IN THE GAME FOR SPORTS FUNDING UNDER LABOR

A Daley Labor Government will blow the final whistle to end the Berejiklian Governments deliberate exclusion of the Newcastle Local Government Area from sports facility funding programs.

Under the Liberals, the Newcastle and Wollongong local government areas have been deliberately excluded from both the $100 million Regional Sports Infrastructure Fund and the $100 million Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund.

Newcastle sporting clubs were denied access to sports facility grant funding programs.

These funds were established to create and improve sporting facilities to encourage more people to participate in sport.

Despite a backlash from the nearly 40,000 registered sporting participants in Newcastle the Liberals have refused to back down on their decision local clubs werent even given a sporting chance when it came to sports facility funding.

A Daley Labor Government will end this exclusion by establishing a $6 million sports facility funding program specifically for facilities in the Newcastle and Wollongong local government areas.

The fund will provide grants ranging from $100,000 to $1 million for significant sports facilities in the region.

Under the Newcastle - Wollongong Sports Facility Fund, projects such as lighting for sporting fields, improvements to regional hubs or regionally significant facilities, access upgrades and complementary facilities to those already established, will be able to apply for a funding grant for improvements.

Proposals aligned with state/national sporting organisations facility strategies will be given priority.

This fund draws a clear distinction between a Daley Labor Government who will invest in sporting facilities in Newcastle and the Liberals who continue their specific and deliberate exclusion of the Newcastle local government area from sports facility funding programs.

Quotes attributable to Member for Charlestown, Jodie Harrison

The Berejiklian Government only cares about Sydney stadiums.

A NSW Labor Government will support sport at a grassroots level by providing funding to upgrade local sporting facilities including the installation of lighting to increase the capacity available at night and in winter.

I am proud to have supported funding applications for lighting project at sports fields in the Charlestown electorate which demonstrates Labor is committed to supporting our local sports.



(Authorised by Kaila Murnain, Australian Labor Party (NSW Branch), 9/377 Sussex Street, Sydney 2000)