Labor MP Tim Crakanthorp says Newcastle Basketball’s proposed move to Hillsborough highlights the unfairness of a regional sports fund that excludes his electorate.
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Lake Macquarie City Council voted on Monday to set aside 6.7 hectares of council-owned land at Hillsborough for a new 10-court stadium and to seek funding opportunities for the project.
Newcastle Basketball applied this year for a $22 million Regional Sports Infrastructure Fund grant to build a Hillsborough venue to replace its ageing home base at Broadmeadow but was knocked back. But the mere fact it can apply to the fund in Lake Macquarie – and not in Newcastle – has raised Mr Crakanthorp’s ire.
“It’s no wonder that Newcastle Basketball are looking to move to Lake Macquarie, because they’re actually ineligible for funding here in the Newcastle electorate,” he said. “In total there’s $300 million that other local government areas are eligible for in this state.”
He pointed out Newcastle and Wollongong were ineligible for both the regional sports fund and the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund.
If Newcastle Basketball moves to Lake Macquarie, they are eligible to apply for large amounts of funding.
- Tim Crakanthorp
“Ludicrously, [Newcastle] doesn’t fit into their definition, so we’re not eligible to apply for any of this money.
“If Newcastle Basketball does move to Lake Macquarie, they are eligible to apply for large amounts of funding, and that’s a tragedy for basketball in Newcastle and it’s a tragedy for the community, because we want to have a great sporting precinct right in the heart of Newcastle.”
A report to Lake Macquarie councillors said the proposed “regional indoor sports facility”, which could host state and national tournaments and a Women’s National Basketball League team, would attract 46,775 overnight visitors spending $9.3 million a year.
Given the city’s political divide is largely arbitrary, it is debatable whether too many of Newcastle Basketball’s 3500 registered members or the wider community care where a new stadium is built.
But it is very much an issue for the city’s politicians, especially with a state election on the horizon.
Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes (Labor) has said the basketball association would be “foolish” to move from Broadmeadow.
Lake Mac Independents councillor John Gilbert said at Monday’s council meeting that “bringing this over to our turf” would be a “torpedo up the stern” of Newcastle.
The NSW government now classes Newcastle and Wollongong – but not Lake Macquarie – as metropolitan areas, locking them out of the regional-only $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund and other non-metro sport and cultural programs.
But both cities are eligible for other funding under the state’s umbrella Restart NSW infrastructure fund, which is financed by asset sell-offs.
The government handed the Newcastle Knights $10 million in May towards their rugby league centre of excellence beside Hunter Stadium and in 2016 gave Newcastle hockey $10 million to upgrade its Broadmeadow headquarters. The basketball association received $5 million in 2016 for new courts until that project stalled.
Nevertheless, Mr Crakanthorp said the lack of funding streams in Newcastle was not good enough.
“It’s quite ironic, because we have the Broadmeadow sporting precinct master plan, which wants to attract sporting groups to Broadmeadow, yet they’re finding they’re ineligible for funding,” he said. “This does not make any sense.”
Parliamentary secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald said Newcastle had gone from “zero” sports funding under Labor to “tens of millions” under the conservative government and Mr Crakanthorp had not committed funds to basketball or other sports in the Hunter.
“Newcastle Basketball and the state government will continue to work together on their future infrastructure requirements,” he said.
The government has been working on a final plan for its proposed Broadmeadow sports and entertainment precinct for well over a year.