Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centrre


30th July 2019

Mr GREG PIPER (Lake Macquarie) (15:17:48): My question is directed to the Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans. Following the Minister's call for an independent review of the closure of Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre, will the Minister update the House on the status of that review and on whether the Government remains committed to reopening the centre and giving staff back their jobs?

Mr JOHN SIDOTI (DrummoyneMinister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans) (15:18:29): I thank the member for Lake Macquarie for his question. He is a hard worker for his electorate; I have witnessed that firsthand. We have been working very closely on the issues surrounding the Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre. In March 2019 the New South Wales Office of Sport closed the centre following advice from Origin Energy regarding the potential safety risks if the stability of the Earing Power Station ash dam wall were to be affected.

I accept that the community is concerned about the impact of this decision and the way in which the decision was made. As I previously reported to the House, I commissioned an independent peer review of the technical advice that the New South Wales Office of Sport relied upon when making its decision to close the centre. The New South Wales Dams Safety Committee facilitated this independent review of the technical reports. The independent reviewer has concluded that the assessment of risk in the original report was reasonable, and the closure of the Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre as a means of risk reduction was consistent with the New South Wales dam regulation policy relating to such risk or potential risk. The independent reviewer has also recommended further work be undertaken to increase the understanding of the level of risk in greater detail.

The additional work has commenced and I have been advised that the technical information required to provide an informed decision about the centre will be available by early September. I am determined to ensure that the safety of New South Wales residents is a priority and that we have all the information needed to make the right decision about the long-term viability of the Myuna Bay centre. Staff will remain on full pay until the future of the centre is determined. It is my intention to make the report publicly available in the coming days. Once again, I sincerely thank the member for his cooperation and assure him that I will keep working with him to get the right result for the Lake Macquarie community.


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