By Jade Nacionales (RMIT Journalism student)
Plans to redevelop the Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club are again under scrutiny following the release of the State government’s original funding terms and conditions for the $11.349m grant.
Proposed plans to modernise the historic clubhouse have been mired in controversy due to the inclusion of a two-storey building with a function venue, gym, expanded members areas and facilities encroaching onto public land.
Residents opposed to the plans say the redevelopment is excessive and should focus on life-saving capacities, not member facilities, but the club says the redevelopment is about creating vital storage and training space.
The original funding agreement, obtained by The Westsider from the Department of Justice and Community Safety as per the Freedom of Information Act (1982), states that “the Government funding is intended to include both the redevelopment of the Clubhouse and the swimming pool”.
According to the agreement the swimming pool upgrade was intended to provide benefits to the entire community, including “a decrease in the risk of drowning (both fatal and non-fatal) by ensuring the delivery of the ‘Learn to Swim’ and other critical localised education programs through the adjacent swimming pool”.
The original agreement also expected the Club’s upgrades to have been completed by August 2025.
When asked about the funding agreement Hobsons Bay City Council said it was no longer current.
“The current funding agreement does not specify a requirement to upgrade the existing swimming pool,” says a council spokesperson, however the pool is still mentioned in the new terms.
“The agreement says the funding is ‘to redevelop the Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club, to provide the community with safe, modern and welcoming life-saving facilities, including the existing swimming pool, that will support continued growth in membership today and into the future, along with water safety education and swimming capability of Victorians,” says the spokesperson.
When asked to access the current funding agreement, the council spokesperson stated that they “cannot release the funding agreement, as it is a state government document containing sensitive information”.
The council gave no explanation as to when or why the original funding agreement was changed. The Westsider was not alerted of any change to the agreement before or after its FoI application.
The Council spokesperson says “Funding agreement variations are common, reflecting project milestone updates and project scope changes.”
The development plans drafted by both Hobsons Bay Council and the WSLSC propose to spend most of the taxpayer-funded grant on the heritage building, improvements to members-only clubrooms, and storage facilities for lifesaving equipment, with minimal improvements to public facilities and no upgrades to the swimming pool.
Minister for Community Safety Hon. Anthony Carbines and Local Labor MP for Williamstown Melissa Horne were contacted but did not answer any questions.
At a council meeting last year on July 29, a member of the Save Willy Beach group asked why the swimming pool would not be publicly accessible after the proposed upgrade.
Director of Infrastructure and City Services, Matthew Irving, responded with the following statement:
“The funding agreement between Council and the Victorian State Government excludes any upgrade to the swimming pool, which is a Club responsibility to fund. The swimming pool is a Club-managed and operated asset, not a public facility. Community members who would like to utilise the pool are encouraged to liaise with the Club committee directly to understand how on-site facilities can be accessed.”
“Every resident of Hobsons Bay involved in the ‘Save our Pool’ campaign is entitled to be upset about this,” says Paul Austin, convenor of Save Willy Beach and resident of Williamstown.
“Everyone in Willy knows that the lifesaving clubrooms need upgrading. But we now also know that the Council’s plan is too big, too expensive, and in breach of Hobsons Bay’s heritage-protection laws and the State Government’s original funding agreement.” “The Council should abandon this proposal and start working with the community on a more appropriate redevelopment that ensures Willy Lifesaving Club becomes one of the best-equipped in Victoria.”
