House debates

Monday, 1 August 2022

Statements by Members

Sturt Electorate: Sporting Infrastructure

4:27 pm

Photo of James StevensJames Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I rise to give what will be the final update—I promise the chamber—on the Max Amber Reserve project, which I've been speaking about for the last three years, since I was first elected; I made a commitment in the 2019 campaign towards that facility. Happily, a week or 10 days before election day this year, I was able to attend the ribbon-cutting at that facility, and, a few weeks ago, I attended the first home game of the Athelstone Football Club—the Raggies—at the new sports clubrooms at Max Amber Reserve.

It's a fantastic facility. We committed $5 million towards it, and the local Campbelltown Council met that dollar for dollar, so it ended up being a project of a little over $10 million, to rebuild the clubrooms there. It's a great outcome for all the local sporting clubs. Football, cricket, a new netball club, and soccer and tennis as well—they've all received a benefit from this project. It's been absolutely transformational, particularly for female participation in the clubs there. They now have the sort of facilities they deserve, to be able to compete with dignity. I'm so thrilled that, in my first term, we were able to make that commitment, deliver the funding, see the project through to completion and, just a week before the election, open that facility.

I want to thank all the partners, particularly Romaldi Constructions, who undertook the build, and everyone at the Campbelltown Council. As usual, they were great partners to work with, and I'm really pleased that, together, we delivered this for our local community.