Thursday, 30 October 2025

 Mathew HILAKARI (Point Cook) (17:30): (1386) My adjournment is for the Minister for Local Government, and my ask tonight is to call on him to meet with Wyndham council around their use of ratepayer funds, in particular their use of developer contributions related to Point Cook. I am unsure whether it is a lack of imagination or a lack of competency at Wyndham council. Recently they ripped $24.4 million away from the ratepayers of Point Cook, who have provided developer contributions that have not been spent for almost three decades – three decades sitting in their coffers doing nothing. Now they have found an opportunity to use it, but not in Point Cook. The recommendation they have put forward is a 750-person venue with a commercial kitchen and onsite parking, and why I say they have a lack of imagination or a lack of competency down there at Wyndham council is because just down the road is the Encore Events Centre – a centre managed, run and owned by Wyndham council which fits a thousand people, has a commercial kitchen and has onsite parking – and yet the community do not use it, because it is too expensive and you cannot bring in your own food. What a disgrace. Just down the road from there are the council offices, again a massive space. It fits hundreds of people, has lots of parking and has kitchens. But they do not hire it out to the community, and the community has been suffering because of this. It is a disgrace.

The council should build what we need and they should make use of what we already have. We know that the council should be building 12 basketball courts in Point Cook. Why? Because they tell us that is what is needed. Down the road we have 500 kids on the waiting list at Eagle Stadium. This is a community who need these facilities. That is just the kids who are on the waiting list. Down the road at Altona Sports Centre they are doing double byes and they are shortening games, all because Wyndham council cannot get their act together. They have not been able to do it for decades. Minister, I call on you to take a look at this council and what they are getting up to, because it is just wrong.