LNP promises $15m for Bundy water park

A WATER park is what the Bundaberg community has wanted for years and, if the LNP gets elected at the end of this month, we will be a step closer to getting it.

The NewsMail can exclusively reveal that the party will today commit $15 million towards delivering a new Bundaberg aquatic facility and water park.

That is half the $30m Regional Council says the project will cost.

Leader Tim Nicholls said the commitment was part of the LNP’s plan to build safe and liveable communities.

“This $15 million commitment shows how serious the LNP is about investing in our regions and creating local jobs,” Mr Nicholls said.

“(Premier) Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor have neglected Bundaberg for the past three years and have failed to deliver the infrastructure the community needs.”

“All Labor has delivered for hard-working local Bundaberg families is an MP who saw fit to rack up unpaid rates and rego.”

The LNP’s candidate for Bundaberg David Batt said a new purpose-built aquatic centre was desperately needed and long overdue.

“Many of the Bundaberg residents I’ve met in recent weeks tell me a water park is top of their wishlist,” Mr Batt said.

“Both pools in Bundaberg are 60 and 30 years old respectively. A new aquatic facility and water park will be a great addition to our city and enhance the health and well-being of the wider Bundaberg region.

“The funding will go towards Bundaberg Regional Council’s proposed $30 million complex, which includes a lap pool, hydrotherapy pool, a water play area and lagoon for children, a health and fitness centre, cafes, merchandise shops, and other fun amenities like rock climbing and an outdoor cinema.”

Mr Batt said the LNP’s Buy Local policy would apply to the project, putting local businesses, contractors and jobs first.

“Our local businesses and contractors will be able to submit a tender for the project, in the knowledge they will be competing on a level playing field,” he said.

Mr Batt said Labor had always taken regional Queenslanders for granted.

“If I’m elected as part of an LNP Government, I will fight to ensure Bundaberg gets its fair share of state funding,” he said.

Mr Batt thanked the local families, businesses and organisations who have been calling for a water park, with the help of the NewsMail.

“Your advocacy enabled me to put a strong case to the LNP leadership team, and they have listened. Together, we can build a better Bundaberg.”

The council has identified Gympie Estate on the Ring Rd in the city’s east as its preferred location for the aquatic centre, needed when Norville Pool is retired.