The Barrabool Rural Protection Group (BRPG) today welcomed last night’s City of Greater Geelong decision to halt funding to the McAdam Park project and investigate the future of motor cycling sports within the municipality and adjoining locations.
The McAdam Park project was described as “a mess” by several councillors including Cr Jan Farrell, who moved the resolution. She said that any due diligence into the project done by Council officers had not been shared with Councillors and there was no current business plan for the ongoing use of McAdam Park. Noting that Motorcycling Australia was not willing to give Council title to one of the McAdam Park blocks as security for it’s funding, she asked how Council could protect ratepayers’ interests in the project.
Cr Stretch Kontelj noted that it was clear that the conditions associated with the previous resolution to provide funding could not be met and that “we need to start again”.
Cr Bruce Harwood foreshadowed an alternative resolution for the City of Greater Geelong to provide a $660,000 interest free ratepayer loan to Motorcycling Australia, with the loan secured by a first mortgage in favour of Council and with directors of Motorcycling Australia providing personal guarantees of repayment. Cr Andrew Katos reminded councillors that the City of Greater Geelong is “not a bank” and Cr John Doull noted that “the timing should be ours” and that Council should not be “put over a barrel” in relation to its funding for the project but should receive written advice with options, as proposed by Cr Farrell.
With the success of Cr Farrell’s motion, Cr Harwood’s motion did not proceed.
BRPG spokesperson Paul Morgan said, “The McAdam Park project has been like a juggernaut which won the support of three governments without proper assessment of its costs and risks to the community.” Mr Morgan continued to question the governance processes which had led to the allocation of large amounts of public funding to the project. “Motorcycling Australia was to be given $2 million in state and local government funds to buy a $3 million block of prime rural land. There is no current business plan and Councillors have recognised that it is unclear whether the economics of the project actually stack up”.
Barrabool resident Heather Wellington said that if it had proceeded with the allocation of funds, Council had risked breaching multiple provisions in the Local Government Act which “are designed to protect ratepayers from imprudent decisions about the allocation of their monies”. “We congratulate Council for saying ‘enough is enough’ and putting in place some proper processes of review. We continue to question what due diligence the State Government and the Surf Coast Shire undertook and what conditions they have put on their funding for this project”.
Both Cr Farrell and Cr Barbara Abley expressed their disappointment that residents of Barrabool had not been consulted about the project and suggested that the City of Greater Geelong and Surf Coast Shire had a duty of care to hear residents’ views. Mayor Mitchell confirmed that he had committed to involving residents in ongoing discussions. Mr Morgan and Dr Wellington said that the BRPG was “happy to work with Council and Motorcycling Australia to find a sustainable solution to support motorcycling in Geelong, but the allocation of funding to the McAdam Park project is not the best way to do that”.
For further enquiries please contact the BRPG on 03 4201 0270.
Tags: barrabool, Information, News