Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in this grievance debate, and the particular issue I want to talk about is the lack of an aquatic centre for the area of my electorate covered by the city of South Perth in Western Australia.

Swimming is probably one of the most popular sports in Australia and forms a part of Australia's culture, with millions of Australians swimming for fun and fitness every week, or every day. Our nation is surrounded by water, as are large sections of my electorate which takes its name from Perth's Swan River. As well as being fun, swimming is a great way to keep fit and stay healthy over a lifetime. It is a low-impact activity which has many physical as well as mental health benefits. As there is no ground impact when you swim, you protect your joints from stress and strain. Water aerobics classes are also desirable for this reason, because even if you jump and hit the bottom of the pool, you do so with less force because you are buoyant in the water. Not only that, but if you wear or hold a flotation device during a water aerobics class, the impact is even less.

I know that aquatic centres have hydrotherapy centres as well, which are used for rehabilitation of patients who have had surgery. Members of this place will also be aware of the aquatic centre I have spoken about before—and it is a continuing campaign. I am still getting plenty of inquiries from people particularly in the Karawara, Manning, Salter Point and Waterford areas, which are all within the South Perth Council. Aquatic centres are an important part of promoting healthy activity and, as I said before, particularly for the elderly needing to use hydrotherapy and young families teaching kids how to swim and save their own lives.

I touched on rehabilitation for surgery. I know that back in 2004 when I had extensive back surgery to have three artificial discs placed in my back, which was a seven-hour operation, the amount of time I spent in a hydrotherapy pool was part of the intense rehabilitation of that very invasive surgery where they actually come through your stomach to place the artificial discs. It was during that time that it would have been handy if there had been a hydrotherapy pool in the aquatic centre close to where I lived at the time, which is maybe the George Burnett Leisure Centre, which I will mention in the rest of my speech. But I had to get people to drive me through to the other side of the city, find parking, and use a hydrotherapy pool at the Mount Hospital in West Perth.

I have also noted previously in this place that most of the councils in my electorate currently provide their residents with public aquatic facilities. The City of Belmont Oasis Leisure Centre is one. The Aqualife Centre in Victoria Park is another, a particularly highly regarded centre. I attended a swimming competition there on the weekend and presented some trophies, as well as sponsoring the event.

I was very pleased in September last year to attend the opening of the City of Canning Recreation Centre in Queens Park, which was opened by Senator Wong. It is a centre that got bipartisan commitment towards its building costs, and a reason for that is because I reckon that both sides of this House understand how important aquatic centres and healthy lifestyles are for people all over Australia. These facilities are greatly valued by the ratepayers in those respective councils. I know that even the suburbs of Langford and Beckenham, which are in my electorate, are serviced by the Gosnells Council in Hasluck, but the centre is closer for them so they generally attend there.

South Perth stands alone in its lack of a readily available aquatic facility. There is a facility at the Wesley College but unfortunately it is only partially available to the public. As good a facility as it is, it is shut for most of the day, obviously to meet the needs of the college sports and recreational teams that they have at Wesley as well. The South Perth City Council has plans for plenty of dry activities for the local area but there is currently a lack of wet activities planning and wet activities available to local residents, and that is why I am talking about this grievance motion today.

As part of my ongoing campaign for an aquatic centre for South Perth, I invited the member for Bennelong to my electorate to present his sports mall concept theories in July 2012. The forum was held at Curtin University and was well attended by local residents, who were overwhelmingly supportive of the concept. There was also attendance by some of the local councillors from the City of South Perth. I would like to enter into part of my speech a speech by the member for Bennelong, who mentions some of the reasons why sports malls and aquatic centres are so beneficial to local councils, local ratepayers and people. In a speech in this place on 18 November he said:

Illness resulting from lifestyle represents 60 per cent of our total health cost when the underlying condition is taken into account. Type 2 diabetes is our biggest killer and our children are now world leaders in obesity rankings, where once we led the world in sporting participation and performance. Australian culture once revolved around participation in sport. The celebration of our sporting heroes held second place only to the celebration of our real heroes. Various assaults on this lifestyle have combined to diminish the distinction that provided us with the physical, mental and social benefits of an active lifestyle.

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As a member of federal parliament I find it hard to think of anything more related to electorate business than the promotion of good health for all Australians. In July last year I was invited to travel to Perth to deliver the keynote speech at a Curtin University forum relating to sporting-club development.

It was a pleasure to have the member for Bennelong there and to support the campaign for an aquatic centre in my electorate of Swan in the suburbs of South Perth. The reality is that many residents in South Perth see it as somewhat of an anomaly that they do not have a facility corresponding to those in other suburbs in my electorate. With 44,000 people residing within the South Perth area, one of the most densely populated areas in the state, an aquatic centre would be well utilised by the local community. To add to the potential usage is the fact that Curtin University is a kilometre away—probably less—from the George Burnett centre. It has 40,000 enrolled students, so there are more potential users of an aquatics centre. During the campaign I spoke to Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Jeanette Hacket, and Curtin University would be fully supportive of an aquatics centre in that location.

As part of my campaign I conducted a community survey of my electorate. The response was overwhelmingly supportive. People in the community have told me that they have been missing out on these benefits for years because there is no public aquatics centre in the City of South Perth and neighbouring facilities are too far away, particularly for the elderly and those who are unable to catch transport. Water attracts people and aquatic centres are the heart of communities in many parts of Western Australia. Other councils have recognised this and have built or are building high-class facilities for their citizens and ratepayers. It is time that people in the City of South Perth had access to similar facilities. I have suggested the aquatics centre could be coupled with the George Burnett Leisure Centre in Karawara.

In addition to the aquatics centre and building on the member for Bennelong's sports mall proposal, I met with Andrew Ross from the Wave Park Group on 28 November. Andrew is proposing a fantastic concept for Perth of a WA surfing park—no sharks and plenty of waves for professionals and beginners. I am hopeful a council in WA will have the vision to grab this concept and run with it. I am pleased to inform the House that the George Burnett Park in Karawara is one of five locations Wave Park is looking at. George Burnett Park is zoned 'district reserve', which is ideal for this type of development. It is state land so the WAPC would have to sign off on the development. The City of South Perth would make a recommendation to the WAPC. In my meeting Andrew pointed out the facility would be relevant to the wider district as a tourism destination as well. It is my view that we need a great tourist attraction like this sooner rather than later. If it were located in South Perth the proposed development would take up one-third of the site at George Burnett Park, with one-third remaining rugby pitches and the other one-third remaining as open space for people who like to walk their dogs and with potential to relocate the existing skate park and also incorporate a private-public partnership sports mall as well.

I will continue to fight for an aquatic centre for the people of South Perth.

Debate adjourned.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 1 8 : 00 .