Sporting organisations in Wollongong have been ruled ineligible to apply for either metropolitan or regional sports infrastructure funds leaving them without access to any source of funds to improve sporting infrastructure.

Wollongong local government area has now also been locked out of applying for funding under the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund, a $100 million program to improve the quality and quantity of sports infrastructure.

The $100 million Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund could fund:

• Development and construction of new sport facilities, or the upgrade of existing sport facilities;
• Amenity buildings such as storage, kiosks, club rooms and grandstands;
• High performance centres;
• Multi-purpose facilities primarily intended to be used for sport but which can also be used for other events;
• Facilities to encourage the participation of women and girls and people with a disability.

So far, the Wollongong local government area has been locked out of applying for any funding from:

• Regional Sports Infrastructure Fund
• Stronger Country Communities Fund
• Regional Cultural Fund
• Connecting Country Communities and
• Growing Local Economies.

Last month, Illawarra Labor MPs wrote to the Premier asking to meet with her and Deputy Premier to develop a consistent definition and classification for the Wollongong local government area so it would be eligible to apply for funding programs. 

Wollongong MP, Paul Scully also raised the issue in the NSW Parliament saying the Berejiklian Government was playing a game of ‘hokey-pokey’ with the region over funding opportunities arguing that it is time for a third definition for funding allocations that recognises the relative size of large regional centres such as Wollongong.

Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:

“This is now becoming a scandal where the Berejiklian Government has simply locked Wollongong out of any funding opportunities whatsoever for the improvement of local sporting infrastructure.

“The Government has classified us as a metropolitan area but has now also locked us out of applying for metropolitan funding programs such as the $100 million Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund.

“The Berejiklian Government has now locked us out of all options.

“The Premier once said she wanted her government remembered for making sure every part of every community benefitted from the prosperity of New South Wales yet she excludes Wollongong from even applying.

“This has become farcical – we are sometimes regional, we are sometimes metropolitan, but this time we have been left out altogether.”