Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): My question is to the Minister for Community Sport, and I ask: how is the Victorian government helping to improve community sport outcomes through our Yarra Bend Park netball courts and pavilion project? Back in 2018 I was excited and humbled to join the former Minister for Sport to announce that the Andrews Labor government would be investing $8 million to deliver eight new netball courts and a modern female-friendly pavilion at Fairlea Reserve in Yarra Bend Park. My Labor predecessor for Northcote, Fiona Richardson, fought for years to secure these courts for the inner north, knowing how critical they are to growing women’s sport. This project will support the Yarra netball association to grow participation and create pathways from grassroots netball through to events and competitions. Critically it will mean a home for Alphington Netball Club. Plus the shared pavilion will also support local soccer, cricket and fly-fishing clubs within the precinct. With construction underway I am looking forward to seeing Yarra council and Parks Victoria working hand in hand with Netball Victoria and local clubs to establish a truly wonderful facility with community sport outcomes at its heart.
Answer
Answered: 2 December 2021
I thank the Member for Northcote for her question and for her continued advocacy for improved community sports infrastructure for her community across the Northcote electorate.
Providing high-quality, accessible community sport and active recreation infrastructure is a key objective of the Andrews Labor Government and is integral to the health and wellbeing of all Victorians. Since 2014, the Andrews Labor Government has invested more than $1.1 billion in community sport and active recreation infrastructure.
The Yarra Bend Park netball courts and sports pavilion is an exciting project which is part of the Government’s Inner City Netball Program (the Program) commitment to deliver 64 competition compliant netball courts in inner-Melbourne, and the Program aims to address the identified gap in netball court provision and provide more opportunities for women and girls to participate in organised and social sport.
The Government is investing $8 million from the Opportunities in Victorian Parks initiative towards this exciting project at Yarra Bend, which will deliver wonderful outcomes not only for the Alphington Netball Club and Yarra Netball Association but also Netball Victoria through the delivery of eight competition netball courts and a shared-use pavilion.
In addition, the pavilion will also support the local fly-fishing, soccer and cricket clubs which currently use the Fairlea precinct.
It was great to see the Premier join the Member for Northcote recently to break ground alongside Netball Victoria CEO, Rosie King and Melbourne Vixens player, Rahni Samasan, at what will be an amazing regional level netball facility.
I encourage continued collaboration between Yarra City Council, Parks Victoria, and Netball Victoria on the delivery of this project, and importantly, the realisation of increased opportunities for women and girls to participate in organised and social sport.
I look forward to joining the Member in mid-2022 to open this facility and once again acknowledge her continued advocacy for community sport.
The Hon. Ros Spence MP
Minister for Community Sport
