The Berejiklian Government’s concept plan for the Wollongong Entertainment Centre (WEC) is on a ‘go slow’ and it can’t even answer basic questions about its progress, despite announcing it in 2018.
In answers to Budget Estimates questions in relation to the WEC upgrade all that the Berejiklian Government would indicate is that preliminary stakeholder engagement was being undertaken.
The Berejiklian Government’s concept plan for the Wollongong Entertainment Centre is a con job.
Member for Wollongong, Paul Scully said, “The Government thought that they could buy the silence of Wollongong residents and stakeholders on this issue in the lead up to the last election by dangling a concept plan in front of them.
“But it is clear that they are in no rush to upgrade the WEC.”
Mr Scully said that the answers to ten simple questions like who had been consulted, how long the concept plan is expected to take to develop, whether and when the plan will be made available to the public and whether the plan was being developed with a budget envelope in mind were mostly met with the same standard response:
“The NSW Government is currently undertaking preliminary stakeholder engagement.”
“The Berejiklian Government thinks it will get away with taking us for fools.
“The WEC is more than two decades old, it hasn’t had a major upgrade during this time and it is widely recognised one is needed for it to continue to attract events and entertainers into the future”, Mr Scully said.
He said that there are investors looking to establish new accommodation options in the area and were waiting for a signal from the NSW Government that an upgrade to the WEC will be made before they invest.
“It’s time for the Berejiklian Government to get serious about the future of the WEC.
“It’s time the Berejiklian Government was upfront with us.
“If they don’t intend to upgrade the WEC be honest about it, but don’t try and get away with this concept plan con job by dragging your feet and dodging the most basic of questions”, Mr Scully said.
An upgrade of the WEC is expected to add around $12 million a year to the local economy and create around 300 local jobs.
“We’ve been waiting long enough: it’s time the Berejiklian Government got a move on with this project.
“Wollongong wants an upgraded WEC and the jobs that come with it”, Mr Scully said.
