Emil Madsen Reserve, Mount Eliza
Chris CREWTHER (Mornington) (09:51): Last weekend I was at the Emil Madsen Reserve for the Mount Eliza Cricket Club’s women’s and men’s grand finals, along with Renee Heath, a Liberal member for Eastern Victoria. It was great to see so many people there supporting community sport. I discussed again the limited facilities at Emil Madsen. Teams have outgrown their pavilions, with a lack of change rooms, especially for girls. Many are currently operating out of portables, and some games are being relocated. Emil Madsen is the highest participation sporting facility in Victoria at the grassroots level, with over 2200 participants across five sports, but they have substandard facilities. Federal Labor went out to make a faux new announcement for Emil Madsen; however, no new money has been committed. The funds that are there from the federal level were already budgeted, and the shire was contacted about these funds being delivered months ago. The only reason that a redevelopment has not occurred is that state Labor have not committed a cent to it. The project remains $15 million short of the $35 million needed. The state Liberals promised funding at the last election, but state Labor ignores it. If the federal Labor government was serious about fixing Emil Madsen, they should have a word to their friends in the state Labor government. Nathan Conroy and I continue to advocate for actual further funding for Emil Madsen.