Across Australia, a wide range of community initiatives and racing organisations are funded in part by poker machine profits. Lately, some community members have expressed the need for the reach of pokie grants to be expanded with the funding of several cycling facilities in Ardeer. The Ardeer Green Activity Hub Master Plan outlines a $500 000 project that would create a cycling hub in the city.
It would turn an abandoned area into a gathering place for several cycling clubs, a criterium circuit, a cross-country mountain bike circuit and a BMX track. Brimbank council has seen a great deal of support for the project, with 61 of 63 responses in favour of it. Unfortunately, it seems as though the initiative may have trouble finding funding, and Brimbank council administrator Jane Nathan has come up with a solution.
She believes that poker machine profits could be useful in bringing this project to life. Over the course of the past year, Brimbank residents have spent over $140 million on pokies. While a portion of this revenue goes back into the community, Ms Nathan believes that more should be done – and, funds should be allocated to the Ardeer Green Activity Hub Master Plan.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see some of that money come back to the community,” she says. “Five million dollars out of $145 million spent on pokies wouldn’t be remiss. It [the hub] would be freely available to all members of the community.” There is still a long way to go before the construction on the cycling hub can begin. At the moment, there is no specific timeline and project managers are still seeking out state and federal funding.
This is a very interesting concept, as more community groups are in need of funding from gaming profits. We are eager to see if the Activity Hub will receive the money necessary to carry out the plan.
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