A rural sporting club that missed out on funding amid the infamous 2019 “sports rorts” grants now fears it is “being used” for political gain after the Nationals MP, Anne Webster, promised it funding if the Coalition is re-elected.
A federal grant application for Nhill and District Sporting Club, in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, had scored a high level 82 out of 100. Yet their community was passed over by the Coalition in favour of lower scoring applications, some of which were in marginal metropolitan seats.
When the grants were given in the lead up to the 2019 election, the seat of Mallee in north-west Victoria was held on a margin of more than 20% by the Nationals. The seat is now held with a 15.7% margin.
Last week Webster promised $1.64m for upgrades at the sporting club, to be delivered if the Coalition won the election.
Dom Colombera, the president of Nhill and District Sporting Club, says he is skeptical about receiving the extra funding.
“I can’t say we’re excited that the Liberal-Nationals have made this promise because there’s a big ‘but’ from them,” he said.
“They’ve obviously got to get in federally for us to receive this money.”
Kat Colbert, the chair of the club’s strategy subcommittee, said the community remained frustrated that Webster had not provided funding for the club in the 18 months since the sports rorts came to light.
“We feel like it’s being used as a political campaign activity, where it really should just be a big cheque presented to us at this point to make our facilities fit for purpose and fit for the future of our club,” Colbert said.
A quarter of the town’s population of 2,000 people are club members involved in football, netball, cricket and hockey. The club was also a space for community events and private celebrations.
But Colbert said the ageing facility was not wheelchair accessible and at an engagement party held there earlier this year a guest could not get into the building.
Brett Wheaton, a past president of the club and member of the steering committee, said the community still had no guarantee the club would receive funding as the decision appeared to be based on politics rather than merit.
Wheaton said he had spent hundreds of hours since 2015 writing six different grant applications for improvements to the sporting centre, all of which had been unsuccessful.
“We were shattered, especially after we were told the points score,” Wheaton said.
He said they also found out from their local council that they were among the top five most deserving applications in their round of the sports funding grants in 2019.
Wheaton said the club had elderlymembers with walking frames and wheelchairs who had to walk around the back to the netball rooms and walk up a ramp to enter.
“It’s just ridiculous what they have to do to come in and be part of our community. You wouldn’t expect anybody to do that.
Wheaton said the upgrades were especially important for a small town like theirs to attract essential workers.
“It’s a social hub of our whole community,” he said. “You go to footy on a Saturday, and if you don’t play you can still be involved as a volunteer.”
’social hub’ of the community but needs upgrades to make it more accessible. Photograph: Kat Colbert
Wheaton said the community had been lobbying other candidates for a funding commitment as a last resort.
“To make it known through the political process that we were not funded … but also that we were unhappy with the whole process.”
Webster was contacted for comment.
Sophie Baldwin, an independent candidate for Mallee, said there were many community groups across the electorate that that had been waiting for funding for years and had now suddenly received election promises.
These include a daycare centre in Murtoa and a recreational reserve in Dunolly, Baldwin said.
“They’re all great community projects, there’s no denying that,” she said. “It’s just a shame that it’s come to an election before they get delivered.”
