Liberal promises in a hockey club tangle 2014

November 21, 2014 – 10:45PM

By Michelle See-Tho

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liberal politicians representing the people of Burwood seem to have got themselves into a tangle with their election promises concerning the Waverley Hockey Club.

Liberal MP for Burwood, Mr Graham Watt, recently promised the Waverley Hockey Club $1.5 million to build a second hockey pitch next to their existing one if the Liberals win the state election.

But the Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Chisholm, Mr John Nguyen, had previously promised $150,000 to the Victorian Sikh Association (VSA) during his 2013 federal election campaign, to upgrade their facilities on the same ground. Monash City Council then pledged an additional $650,000 for the upgrade.

The facilities include a pavilion and a pitch the VSA uses for sports such as soccer and hockey.

Since then, the VSA has faced many delays with the renovations for the project.

According to VSA president Mr Harvin Dhillon, the upgrade for the pavilion was supposed to commence in July this year. It was delayed for reasons that were unclear until Mr Dhillon prompted Monash City Council.

He said the council then disclosed the fact that Mr Watt had planned to provide money for the Waverley Hockey Club.

‘Up to that point, they hadn’t told us the reason why it’s been delayed is because there’s a potential relocation for us,’ Mr Dhillon said.

He said if the pitch is taken over by the Waverley Hockey Club, it will become synthetic and unusable for soccer games. The VSA will be forced to relocate games.

Meanwhile Waverley Hockey Club president Mr Drew Ashton said a second hockey pitch had been needed for many years. However he was not antagonistic to the VSA.

‘In some ways, we have some competing priorities, but I think both organisations can work together,’ he said.

But Mr Dhillon said it was not a perfect outcome.

‘It’s a compromise. It’s not what we ideally prefer,’ he said. But he admitted the VSA’s hockey team would also use the proposed new pitch.

Labor candidate for Burwood Mr Gavin Ryan said Mr Watt’s promise is ‘a last minute cash splash’. He is disappointed with the delays the VSA has had to face in the meantime.

Federal MP for Chisholm mentioned the issue in parliament in October.

UniPollWatch approached Mr Watt for comment but he did not respond before deadline.

michelle.seetho@unipollwatch.org.au ( @stmischa)

 

Michelle See-Tho is a Master of Journalism student at the University of Melbourne

Article taken from http://www.unipollwatch.org.au/liberal-promises-in-a-hockey-club-tangle/