Council
3 July, 2026
Delegates push for pool funding
COUNCIL-owned swimming pools was high on the agenda for a delegation of Moyne Shire representatives in Canberra last week.
The delegation put forward a key Moyne Shire advocacy motion at the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly in Canberra.
This motion called on the federal government to establish a funding program to support the renewal, replacement and modernisation of council-owned swimming pools.
This was one of five motions Moyne proposed – which were all adopted.
Deputy mayor Cr Myra Murrihy said it was an important motion, which received strong support from more than 700 council representatives from across the country.
“Pools are vital community assets, but the cost of maintaining and managing these essential facilities is now beyond the capacity of many rural and regional councils,” she said.
“Royal Life Saving Australia has found that 80 per cent of the nation’s public pools are approaching end-of-life within the next decade and will require major investment.
“Councils like Moyne cannot shoulder this burden alone, we need support from all levels of government to upgrade these important facilities.
“The strong backing for this motion from the councils at the conference shows we are far from alone in calling for action.”
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Cr Murrihy said council owned pools in Hawkesdale, Macarthur and Mortlake were all built in the 1950s and 60s and would need significant investment in the years to come.
“Then of course there is Port Fairy, where the community owned pool was unfortunately going to cost too much for council to repair,” she said.
The motion, along with calls for increased infrastructure funding for small to mediums projects and active transport projects, as well as national frameworks for climate resilience and cyber security, will now form part of ALGA’s national advocacy agenda.
The Moyne delegation also held a number of meetings with government ministers, Opposition MPs and key staffers to advocate for key projects and priorities.
“Dedicated federal funding for rural and regional aquatic facilities, ongoing infrastructure funding, standard community benefits from renewable energy projects and support for our agriculture sector were all discussed,” Cr Murrihy said.
“We had some great discussions with key Ministers, including the Minister for Infrastructure and Minister Regional Development about our key priorities and the issues and opportunities in our region.
“It was a jam-packed schedule, but information about our key projects is in the hands of the right people, and our motions are now included in a national advocacy agenda.”
