Ivan Dean, Speeches Index

Tuesday 10 July 2007

GOVERNMENT BUSINESSES SCRUTINY COMMITTEE B

Mr DEAN ( Windermere ) - The GBE scrutiny committees are a good process, in my view, but these occurred such a long time ago now that they seem to have lost a lot of their impetus because of the fact -

Mr Parkinson - That is why the next round will be more relevant.

Mr DEAN - I think it will be more relevant because since this time we have had the budget process, we have gone through the Estimates process and a lot of the issues that we are now talking about have come up in that and some issues have been resolved. We have moved on.

Mr Parkinson - That, of course, is one of the reasons the Government wanted to do it the way we are doing it next time, but the honourable members weren't ready.

Mr DEAN - Sure. I did a brief on this because I am talking a bit about the velodrome and I have changed that brief five times so far to keep up with the times. In speaking to this matter, while I am confident that Sport and Recreation will run this centre admirably, I cannot help but think that the Launceston City Council probably should have been the owners of the centre. It was a pity in a way that a deal could not have been done that would have satisfied the ratepayers of that area. But it was not to be and we now have Sport and Recreation there and we have moved on. That could not be when the ratepayers of Launceston alone, as I said, were going to be relied upon to cover the losses of the centre. I think a problem with a lot of these buildings and establishments is that they are regional centres but it comes down to the municipality in which they are located to run and maintain them without much support from anybody else and that creates a lot of problems.

The employment of the current two full-time staff is an issue that I have some concerns with. We are told they will need to reapply for their positions with the new authority, but there is no certainty that either of them will be successful in being reappointed to those positions. I am not quite sure whether we have moved on from there, whether those positions have now been advertised and what is happening. I would suspect that that is happening, if it has not already occurred. I am aware that both employees want to continue employment at the centre, however we are told that their job descriptions will change. It will be interesting to see whether or not the job descriptions provide an opportunity for both of those full-time employees to get their positions back or at least to be employed with Sport and Recreation. Both have been extraordinary employees for the velodrome, that is well known, and they have done an absolutely wonderful job in ensuring that that complex has run efficiently and effectively. I want to mention both people. Brenda Sheldrick has held a senior position at the centre for 22 years and has been an exceptional employee. She has built a career out of it and she would very much like to remain an employee of the new organisation. In fact her contract ended in December 2006 and she agreed to a short-term contract simply to help the organisation out during the changeover period to ensure a smooth transition. She has great skills and I would hope that she is able to satisfy the new position description and I would hope that she is successful and is re-employed there. I am not quite sure where we are with that but the Leader might be able to tell us in his answer to the questions in the debate.

Mr Parkinson - I will need to read Hansard because I was only half following what you were saying.

Mr DEAN - Yes, right.

The second person, a Mr Greg Banks, has worked at the velodrome for 15 years and is desirous also of staying on and, once again, he has given exemplary service and I understand that under the public service policy regarding employment that these positions have to be regazetted and have to be advertised. I understand all of that, but I do believe there are occasions where we ought to be able to simply employ existing people under some other conditions to ensure that they do remain in these organisations and particularly where their service has been extraordinarily successful and exemplary in all of the circumstances.

On a recent visit to the site, Mr President, I experienced first-hand the works that are currently under way there and the funding that has been provided has certainly been used effectively. The new flooring now, I would suggest, has been completed in that complex. That was due to start after Targa had ended and I suspect that that has occurred. There have been a lot of other changes occurring there, Mr President, in relation to safety requirements of that complex because when it was first built there were certain safety things that were not needed in the building at that time but are now needed so a lot of that expenditure has been used to bring the premises up to the required safety regulations to meet the current regulations that exist in relation to these public complexes.

I noticed whilst I was there a new building - and it would probably be erected by now. They were starting to erect it while I was there, and it is at the western end of the complex. It was identified to me as a weight and strengthening facility for the Tasmanian Institute of Sport. That was never previously identified to us in all of our discussions about that complex and it was not until I went up there that I noticed that this was occurring. Did that come out of the $3 million funding that was made available for the renovations and the maintenance of that complex or was that additional funding for the erection of that new room at the end of the building? I would like the Leader, if he is able, to provide an answer in relation to that.

Mr Parkinson - I will need to take that on notice, too. I will get you the answer.

Mr DEAN - Thank you. I have been asked to ask the questions.

It is a great building but as the people working there will tell you, its bulk and its size do not make it a very inviting premises during the winter period in particular because there is no real form of heating in the complex, which is a turn-off for spectators of sporting events in particular. I do not know what is envisaged there in the future as to what they can do about it but I think that if they could get their heating right then it would be a good way of attracting more people there and more users of the centre, Mr President, and it has always been raised as a concern.

New toilets and showers are under way and the flooring and the skylights are to be replaced. That is all part of the renovations and it is good to see this occurring.

The position I raise, Mr President, and during our GBE process we identified this, is that over a long period of time the velodrome fell into a state of disrepair and it was identified very clearly the reason for that in the main was that there was inadequate funding made available to maintain that building to the standard that it should have been kept. I am hoping that in the future, once this maintenance is carried out and once the premises is put back into good condition, sufficient budget is provided to ensure that it does not fall back to its previous state where, as we know, at least $3 million was necessary to bring it up to a reasonable standard. I hope that the Government can now see the problems that arose as a result of inadequate funding of the premises and that we do ensure that the funding is allocated. It would be sad to see it return to where it was.

Mr President, the facility is more widely used now and recently a national netball final was held in that establishment. It is considered to be one of the best netball facilities in Australia so it has huge potential for attracting national and championship events. We need to promote it more as well. That final was the Sydney Swifts against the Melbourne Kestrels and there was a huge crowd. It was quite a cold night so it was well-attended. If we are successful in getting the cloverleaf built to give much easier access to and exit from the velodrome, that will add to its use. People using it comment on the difficulty in accessing the centre and, in particular, when they leave it.

Mr Parkinson - Is that a three-leaf or a four-leaf clover?

Mr DEAN - I do not know, but I am talking about an overpass to get into it off the southern expressway and it is just a stone's throw over the bank. Currently to get access to it, if you are in Launceston, you have to go up Westbury Road, which is a heavily traversed narrow road, without good access at all. The other way people have to come in along Westbury Road, which again is a well-used road and it causes problems with all the heavy vehicles. Access directly off the highway would certainly make it much easier for people to attend and leave the facility.

In all, I look forward to the future of the velodrome in the hands of Sport and Recreation, Mr President. I think it will continue to do well and attract a lot of activity and entertainment. There was some discussion about what its real purpose is, whether it is for sporting events or for retail activity, but we have to get the mix right. It is there for both purposes and it is retail activity which brings a lot of the funding so, obviously, we have to continue with that. But it should never be at the expense of sporting events and activity. I think we need a mix of both so I look forward to the future of the velodrome proceeding in the way it is currently going.

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