What Tuggeranong facilities should share in the $16.265 million now that the ice rink isn’t happening? Photo: Canberra Skateboarding Association (CSA)/Facebook.
The Tuggeranong community will now be involved in deciding where the $16.265 million from the scrapped ice rink should be spent – and a deadline’s been set on when they’ll find out where the money will go.
The promised ice rink saga ended in early September when Sports Minister Chris Steel announced the project couldn’t proceed due to cost blowouts and “unacceptable risks”.
Instead, the millions already allocated to the project would go to upgrading other sporting infrastructure projects in Tuggeranong.
Shadow Sports Minister James Milligan and Canberra Liberals Brindabella MLA Deborah Morris brought forward a motion to the Legislative Assembly calling on the ACT Government to let the community know which 2024 election commitments for Tuggeranong sporting infrastructure had been funded, as well as outlining the amount of funding allocated and the anticipated timeline of delivery.
Mr Milligan said this was about restoring the integrity of sporting commitments in Tuggeranong.
“The people of Tuggeranong have already seen one major sporting commitment disappear after years of assurances,” he said.
“They should not have to simply take the government’s word that the remaining commitments will be delivered.”
The pair also wanted to see a separate investment plan for the $16.265 million specifying each project to be funded, the location and scope of each project, the funding allocated, expected commencement and completion dates, and if any of the money would be used to “rebadge, replace or offset funding for an existing or previously announced commitment”.
Ms Morris said this would be a way for Tuggeranong locals to be able to track what promises were on the way.
“We shouldn’t have to wait until the next election to find out whether this latest commitment to the people of Tuggeranong will be delivered,” she said.
The original deadline given was the last sitting day in October, but was amended to February 2027 by Brindabella ACT Greens MLA Laura Nuttall.
This was because she also wanted the broader Tuggeranong community to be consulted on the allocation of the $16.265 million through a “proper” process, and an assurance the Phillip ice rink remained “safe, operational and accessible” to the community during this time.
Originally consultation was only going to be with ACT-affiliated clubs and organisations, district community councils and licensed clubs.
“The whole point of the Tuggeranong ice rink was that it was open to the general public, alongside grassroots and elite athletes. And as awesome as our local sports clubs and community councils are, forcing them to choose between long-overdue sports investment for their members and speaking for the needs of the broader Tuggeranong community isn’t fair on anyone,” she previously said.
“The government can’t break its promise to deliver a rink called for by the community for over a decade, redirect the funding, and then claim the community has been heard – when most residents were never invited into the conversation in the first place.”
Mr Steel acknowledged the motion was to do with transparency, and said the ACT Government was happy to oblige.
“The government is happy to be transparent about where the money will be spent and where the funding will come from,” he said.
“The commitment to the Tuggeranong sporting community remains strong.”
How much detail can be produced in February will depend on what avenue the government decides will best allocate the $16.256 million.
It’s still not known whether the money will go into a pool that sporting groups can apply to access, whether there will be a grants scheme, or some other process.
Mr Steel said if a grants scheme was chosen, he would at least provide information about the application criteria and how many rounds there would be.
“We will try and provide as much information as we can at that time about how the funding will be allocated,” he said.
Brindabella ACT Labor backbencher Tamius Werner-Gibbings has already launched his own Tuggeranong Community Sports Infrastructure Survey to narrow down a list of what residents and organisations want to see delivered.
He also wrote to Mr Steel outlining a list of short and medium-term options to consider.
“The list is not exhaustive, but it highlights a range of potential investments that will improve community sport and recreation infrastructure throughout Tuggeranong,” Mr Werner-Gibbings wrote.
New potential projects included an enclosed football ground at Greenway (which could potentially be an interim Canberra A-League men’s home ground) and building Australia’s first dedicated pickleball complex in Tuggeranong with indoor and outdoor courts along with spectator and tournament facilities.
Upgrades and new facilities were also suggested across grounds that support soccer, baseball, hockey, swimming, rugby league, Aussie Rules, skateboarding, tennis, netball, BMX and pétanque.
