Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Community Sport and the action I seek is that the minister meet with me to discuss the long-term viability of sporting clubs in my electorate. I speak in particular, Minister, about the demise of the Darebin City Bowls Club and my deep concern that no more sporting clubs in my electorate are squeezed out by Darebin council under the guise of COVID-19.

Minister, the Darebin City Bowls Club in Thornbury is sadly no longer. A club that has been in existence in some form since 1966, formerly under the Faircote and Northcote bowls clubs banners. I know right now there are a lot of clubs under pressure because of the pandemic—and I know, Minister, that you have been working alongside me to make sure that they survive—for that I am grateful.

But Darebin City Bowls Club is not a victim of the pandemic—it is a victim of Darebin council. For some months, I have been working with the club to provide advice and assistance in their efforts to save the club. I was deeply saddened when I got the call to say that they could no longer fight council to stay alive.

Minister, the club is located at Darebin International Sports Centre, which was built in 2005 and was host to the 2006 Commonwealth Games bowls tournament. The facilities when built were world class, an asset that the inner north could be proud of.

Sadly, it is no longer to international standard. And indeed, I mentioned in my tribute in this place to the late John Cain, Jr, that the run-down state of John Cain Memorial Park itself was a source of great disappointment to the family. Once the host of the Commonwealth Games, state and national championships—the facility has been allowed to deteriorate by council.

As a result no major events have been able to take place since 2014 because the site is no longer up to international standards.

This has dealt a devastating blow to Darebin City Bowls Club, as its lease with council was provisioned on it operating with revenue generated by major events.

The club have been trying to negotiate a resolution with council to deal with these circumstances. Every step of the way council has resisted. In the council’s own words, the reason they haven’t had any major events at the site is

‘due to a range of circumstances, which are beyond council’s direct responsibility and control’.

What a cop-out.

Council was gifted a beautiful, international-standard asset on council-owned land. Keeping it to that standard was very much in council’s responsibility and control. In the end, instead of working with this local club in good faith, council got their lawyers involved to squeeze every last drop out of the Darebin City Bowls Club before booting them out.

What a travesty.

The death of the Darebin City Bowls Club is the collateral damage of council’s mismanagement and neglect at best.

At worst, it’s a deliberate attempt to shirk their responsibilities in order to cut costs and bump up their bottom line.

Their letter to club offers some insight into Darebin council’s attitude to local sports clubs:

‘Darebin is supported by good levels of provision of four other bowling facilities in the municipality … Therefore, if the DCBC were to cease operations or relocate to one of these four venues, there would be no overall reduction to the community in the service and activities currently provided.’

Minister, this council has lost all perspective of its responsibilities to residents and the organisations that breathe life into our suburbs.

They deserve better.