Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Tuesday 26 July I had the great pleasure of attending the official opening of two 46,000 litre water tanks funded under the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program at the Koonung tennis club in Blackburn North. The Mayor of the City of Whitehorse, Ben Stennett, and the club president, Debra Fairy, joined me for the official opening at the clubrooms along with many members of the committee, media and obviously other interested observers. There were many players out on the courts at night either practising or being coached. It was great to see so many people involved.

The Koonung tennis club has nine en-tous-cas courts that have a porous surface which needs watering for both dust suppression and maintenance of the subsurface, particularly in summer. A vast amount of water can be used just keeping those services in a playing condition. The courts at Koonung tennis club are used for competitions and coaching and are open for hire by school and community groups. The club currently has 246 adult members and 121 child members. It is a very popular facility.

The two water tanks will receive funding of $30,000 from the federal Labor government under round 2 of the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program, along with $5,200 from the tennis club and $3,000 of in-kind funding from the City of Whitehorse. With a 92,000-litre storage capacity, the club's tanks were nearly full when I visited. The water is pumped to any location on the courts that is required. They have not only a pump but also piping to take water out around the nine courts so that no court needs to miss out. This project will reduce the amount of drinking water that was previously used to water the courts and will also result in savings on the quarterly water bills for the facility.

To date, more than $3 million of community infrastructure has been delivered under the RLCIP to the City of Whitehorse, creating jobs along the way and providing great local infrastructure for the long term. It is programs such as the RLCIP that have enlivened many councils to go out and look beyond what they might have done in the past and actually co-fund many of the applications they put in to the federal government. It has been great to see the results.

I commend this excellent federal government program. It is yet another example of how the Gillard Labor government is supporting local communities by working directly with local councils not only in Deakin but across every electorate in Australia. I would also like to congratulate everyone at the Koonung tennis club and the Whitehorse council involved in the project. I know that this water-saving investment will be highly valued for many years to come.