We already know there has been skewed investment towards cricketing facilities since the merged Georges River Council formed. Many people have been scratching their heads asking ……’how is this allowed to happen?’.

Certainly the supporters of Carss Park Pool would like to know the answer to this question.

Well, on Monday night, thanks to some pertinent questions from Sam Elmir - Councillor for Blakehurst Ward - Georges River Council, we got some answers.

Whilst considering a report asking Councillors to select a location for the $2.2m second pavilion at Hurstville Oval, the Director of Assets and Infrastructure gave some background on the funding source for this project.

The Director explained, when 6 councils refused to merge, there was $120million left in a State Government bucket that merged councils could apply for. Georges River Council submitted a list seeking funding for 15 projects, totalling $40m. 4 projects were successful totalling just over $10m.

Councillor Elmir first asked how this list of 15 projects was developed. The answer; Council staff developed the list (ie: there was no opportunity for Councillors or the public to have a say on what projects were put forward to request funding).

Councillor Elmir then asked if there were any criteria for a project to get on this list (ie; the length of time it had been on the back-burner awaiting funding). The answer; essentially no criteria, just what council officers thought was most important.

People can draw their own conclusions as to why 2 of the 4 projects approved for funding were for cricket and a 3rd for golf (the 4th project was the Poulten Park synthetic turf).

Councillor Elmir’s third and final question was ‘was Carss Park Pool one of the 15 projects that Council applied for funding for’? The answer; No.

Council have known since 2011 that Carss Park Pool needed investment. Even since Sept 2017, just before the Council elections when they took management of the pool in-house, they knew it needed investment. Yet why didn’t Council include Carss Park Pool in one of the projects they put forward to seek State Government funding?

The Rebuild Carss Park Pool campaigners sat through Monday’s Extra Ordinary Council meeting to listen to the debate over the proposed rate rises. We had to endure listening to the Mayor lecturing Councillors on why they needed to put the rates up. Some of his reasons included ‘We need to continue to invest. And we need to do that based on fairness and equity’. He also stated ‘We as a community need to provide the best possible services. We can cut staff and do all those things, but eventually you have to cut services’.

Mr Mayor, the Rebuild Carss Park Pool campaign is offended to hear you preach about fairness and equity and threaten the loss of essential services when we have watched you close our pool, delay any decision on its future and invest our rates into cricketing facilities where there has been little demand and that seem to have very low levels of patronage.

Mr Mayor, it is now time for fairness and equity for the swimming community of Georges River Council. Please get on with preparing a Business Case to commence the Rebuilding of Carss Park Pool at the current site.

Watch the webcast (starting at 2mins) to see Clr Elmir's questioning yourself.