Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address Council tonight. I speak to raise my concerns that the summary of the Kardinia Pool Feasibility Study as tabled at the council meeting on the 9th of October 2007 was not an accurate reflection of this study.  I request an opportunity to address Council at a briefing session in order to detail the points of the Feasibility Study which demonstrate the paucity of swimming opportunities in central Geelong, the demographic data which outlines the increasing demand for such a facility in central Geelong and finally the economic analysis which demonstrates that such a facility can and should be self funding such that the development of this facility would be fully funded and would not impact at all on the ratepayers of Geelong.

Kardinia Pool is the local swimming pool of the people of central Geelong. The 45,000 people who live within a 4 km radius of the pool come from the wards of Brownbill, Austin, Cowie, Kardinia, Kildare and northern aspects of Deakin and they look at their local pool lying idle from April until October every year and ask why.

The Feasibility Study is composed of several submissions.  It included a submission from Sports and Leisure Organisation which detailed the statistics on the reduced opportunity for people in central Geelong to attend an aquatic centre in their area.  It details the preference for people to use an indoor pool facility and the need for hydrotherapy.  It details the positive response from 16 primary schools and 8 secondary schools in Geelong towards the development.  It identifies an available and enthusiastic potential tenant of the development’s gymnasium facility to lease this facility.  It identifies substantial existing demand from disability groups within Geelong including Karingal, St Laurence Organisation, Scope, Barwon Valley Special School, and six other disability organisations which currently have access only to two small private facilities with high usage costs and high transport costs.  It also includes a reference to the Barwon Sports Academy which is keen to develop swimming as one of its designated sports and this would require Kardinia Pool access 12 months of the year.

The Feasibility Study also includes a financial analysis performed by Strathcorp.  This financial analysis uses identical averaged attendance figures at the other aquatic/gymnasium facilities in Geelong of 300,000 attendances.  The analysis uses the cost of a swim at $3 50.  The summary of their submission was that the current net cost shortfall of $200,000 would increase to $400,000 on completion of the development (that is a roofed pool, learn to swim and hydrotherapy pool and gymnasium) on borrowings of $10 million with 300,000 attendances versus the current 45,000 attendances at Kardinia Pool.  By increasing the cost of each attendance by $1-50, or by a less if the attendance figures were greater than those at the other centres, this deficit would be eliminated.  This situation would mean that there would be no impost on the ratepayers of Geelong as the centre would be totally self funded and that the residents of central Geelong would have the facility they want.

The feasibility study also included a statement of strong support from the Geelong Football Club which would be an enthusiastic user of this facility.

The Feasibility Study represents the summation of two years of increasing public support for this project from the surrounding community and the study was funded by the Geelong Cats Sports Foundation at a cost of $30,000.  This study is too important to be inaccurately presented to you.

I request the opportunity to address Council at a briefing session regarding the full details of this study and the background leading up to it.