Tuesday, 16 November 2021

Western Victoria Region

Mr GRIMLEY (Western Victoria) (12:16): (1503) My question is to the Minister for Regional Development. The Moorabool shire is earmarked for exponential growth in the years to come. Towns like Bacchus Marsh are predicted to have thousands of new residents, and with this brings the need for important infrastructure. The Moorabool shire have planned for this exponential growth and are looking to build a brand new recreational facility, the Moorabool Aquatic and Recreation Centre, or the MARC. Unfortunately the Moorabool shire missed out on funding for stage 1 of the MARC. However, the shire acknowledge the importance of this project and have gone ahead with the build for stage 1 without assistance. Moorabool needs more support, as stage 1A is now entering the pre-build phase, and they are awaiting the outcome of a Regional Development Victoria grant application for $2.95 million. The entire MARC project will create more than 200 jobs during construction and generate more than $100 million in economic activity during the life of the project. Minister, will you carefully consider the current grant application for stage 1A of the MARC to ensure that it is fully funded before construction of stage 1 gets underway?