The Liberals have committed to upgrading the Carisbrook recreation reserve if elected, but others have suggested extra funding for flood mitigation is needed for the town to “feel safe again”.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Member for Ripon Louise Staley on Friday announced a $1 million upgrade toward new change rooms for umpires and players and other infrastructure upgrades at the tired reserve.
The away changing rooms, locally known as the ‘chook shed’, were in terrible condition, according to Ms Staley, who said the upgrades would benefit the entire community.
“Some of the men and women refuse to shower in the current facilities,” she said.
The incumbent MP, who holds the seat by a margin of 0.75 per cent, said the project had been sought by the community for a number of years.
Read more: Carisbrook flood levee works to start
Carisbrook Disaster Recovery Committee member and former councillor Helen Broad said the proposal would be positive for the community and welcomed the funding.
She said there was also a need for the flood works to be completed.
“There’s no point in having state-of-the art facilities if it’s going to get flooded all the time,” she said.
“If we can't fix the flood problem the town's not going to develop.”
Carisbrook resident Susan Tully said many residents still lived in fear after the 2011 floods and become increasingly anxious when heavy rain is forecast.
“We just want to feel safe again,” she said.
Work on the town’s $2.25 million flood levee, which would direct overland water away from the town during a flood, has not progressed as expected since it was announced last year, residents argue.
Ms Staley said the flood works have been fully funded but “issues around land acquisition and an issue with the council” had held things up.
“It's clear they (Carisbrook community) have not had the flood mitigation works they require but it’s also true the community has been working for years to have their sporting and community facilities upgraded,” she said.
The announcement was welcomed by the Carisbrook Recreation Committee and the Central Goldfields Shire Council.
It’s the second sports-related promise from the Coalition in a week, after they committed to a $1.3 million upgrade for Wedderburn’s Donaldson Park Sporting Complex.
