Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the Central Coast, we are privileged to have some outstanding sporting and recreation facilities. Unfortunately, there have been some facilities in my community that have gone overlooked for too long. They have fallen into disrepair or are not being appreciated for the potential that they have. Saratoga Oval is one of them. Saratoga Oval sits on the breathtaking and spectacular Brisbane Water. It is a recreation space that is beloved by its community and by residents in Saratoga, Davistown, Yattalunga and from all over the Central Coast.

People enjoy and love coming to visit Saratoga Oval and know that it can be so much better. I recently met with several community stakeholders who use Saratoga Oval regularly. However, they are experiencing issues with this community space which are inhibiting use, access and enjoyment of the oval's facilities. For example, the Saratoga Hawks cannot use or play on the oval after rainfall because of lack of drainage. Similarly, the Kincumber Avoca Cricket Club cannot use Saratoga Oval after rainfall, and they have concerns about infrastructure constraints. The Central Coast is a growing urban population, and, with this increase, infrastructure should and must keep pace.

That brings me to my next point. Community members from the 3 Villages Community Group have also raised concerns about the absence of playgrounds, pathways, landscaping and infrastructure to support visitors while using the oval. One member of this group penned an impassioned letter to me about the need for a recreation space like what is available in other areas. They mentioned that after a recent family road trip through the New South Wales countryside, they were amazed at the parks that were available in much smaller communities across the state. They said that a region like the Central Coast surely can and must do better and that we deserve the same quality infrastructure. I agree—Saratoga Oval can be better, and we should make it better.

Following on from my meeting, and after speaking with many others, I've committed to establishing a community petition calling on all levels of government to upgrade the Saratoga Oval. I am pleased to update the parliament and this chamber that this petition has been very successful and quantifies the level of support for this upgrade. Almost 600 people have taken the time to complete my community petition, and I wish to thank all of those signatories for their support. I know that we can keep the momentum going and reach more than a thousand signatures. I encourage anyone who has not signed the petition to please do so—the greater the number of signatures we have, the stronger the campaign. Let us show how much our community on the Central Coast deserves Saratoga Oval to be upgraded.