Tuesday, 16 May 2023

Commonwealth Games

Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (17:14): (209) I do not know what has really come over me today, but my adjournment matter is for the Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy. I have just got a thing today; I have got to get it out of my system.

A member: So sporting.

Joe McCRACKEN: It is. It relates to the athlete’s village which is up for construction at the old saleyards site in Ballarat located in Latrobe Street. Minister Allan was in Ballarat recently, and she was asked about the project. In her prelude Minister Allan correctly identified that the site had challenges, noting ‘the historical consequence of it being a saleyards for a really long time and then looking at how we can have the site Games ready for 1800 athletes and officials will be difficult’ – blah, blah, blah.

Harriet Shing: It wasn’t quite blah, blah, blah.

Joe McCRACKEN: I think it was. She was then asked whether the buildings on the site are going to be permanent or portable structures, and her response was, ‘That is something we are working through at the moment.’ I remember when I contributed to this last time I predicted that exact response, so I am glad to be correct in that. One local media outlet was quoted as saying, ‘It’s all sounding rather temporary – rows of dongas.’ It will probably be better than that – hopefully better than that.

The minister may also not be fully aware that the site is located in the middle of an industrial zone. Businesses in the area under planning law have existing use rights and also have different planning controls in place – for example, buffer zones regarding residential construction and amenity, particularly due to significant noise and light created as a result of business activity. The action that I seek is this: can the minister give an assurance to Ballarat locals that athletes will have a world-class experience, given the proposed athletes village is basically going to be in the middle of an industrial site? Can the minister ensure that all planning regulations have been adhered to, including that all existing use rights have been respected, and that all buffer zones and other control mechanisms will be adhered to in both the construction and utilisation as an athletes village and also the ongoing use as residential housing into the future?