The 125-year-old Bairnsdale Tennis Club will receive an $8 million redevelopment from The Nationals and Liberals in Government, delivering new courts and major upgrades to the historic club’s facilities and ensuring its future.
The Nationals’ candidate for Gippsland East, Gemma Rendell, announced the commitment with Shadow Minister for Sport, Brad Battin, saying, if elected in a few weeks, we will be delighted to work with the club to deliver the facilities it desperately needs.
“This is a game-changer for a fantastic local sporting club that has been part of the Bairnsdale community for a long time,” Ms Rendell said.
“The club has done everything asked of it. It has undertaken the planning, developed the project and has all the necessary documentation in place, so it is ready to go. What it hasn’t been able to do is overcome a funding challenge that has left it falling between the cracks.
“The result is that, despite having a very active club and hardworking committee, the facilities have continued to deteriorate to the stage where it has become borderline in being able to host the big tournaments it does each year, bringing in participants from across the state.
“Sadly, the club had to withdraw from hosting a Tennis Victoria sanctioned tournament this year. Our commitment will break that impasse.”
The $8 million redevelopment will address both the club’s ageing courts that are falling into disrepair, repair the clubrooms and provide the upgraded lighting and switchboard works, fix the deteriorating fencing and provide accessibility improvements.
None of the existing courts meet current standards, while sections of fencing around the playing surface have deteriorated to the point of creating safety concerns. The clubrooms also require significant work and the facility is currently not all-abilities accessible.
Ms Rendell said the investment was justified by the enormous amount of use the facility receives.
“Membership and those on the club database for regular use have hit 300 this year, but there are many more who use the facility socially. Over 200 receive coaching, and pickleball numbers are significantly increasing with an overall estimated player visitation of more than 17,000 per year, which does not include spectators and supporters.
“This is not a facility that sits idle. The courts are used throughout the year, including strong junior participation outside the tournaments held,” she said.
“The annual Labour Day tournament, now approaching its eighth decade, remains a significant event on the local sporting calendar.”
It will be funded through the Liberals and Nationals’ Fair Share Guarantee, which provides regional Victoria with 25 per cent of new infrastructure investment, in line with its share of the State’s population, rather than the current 12 per cent under Labor. This is not spending more taxpayer money, but a reallocation to ensure regional communities receive their fair share.
Mr Battin said the Bairnsdale Tennis Club had been operating since 1901 and the committee deserved enormous credit for continuing to push ahead with the redevelopment despite the funding difficulties.
“This is one of those projects where everyone agrees something needs to be done, but because of the land management arrangements, the club has been caught in no-man’s-land when it comes to accessing the funding required and I know it has worked hard with the current member, Tim Bull, to overcome this.
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of all that work.
“The committee has not sat on its hands. It has done the planning and costing work and put together the documentation required to make this project shovel ready.
“Now it needs a government prepared to back it, and we will do that,” he said.
Caption: The Nationals’ candidate for Gippsland East, Gemma Rendell pictured with Shadow Minister for Sport, Brad Battin, and Bairnsdale Tennis Club members, reviewing the redevelopment plans that will be realised under an elected Liberals and Nationals’ government.
