Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories - Shadow Minister for Regional Communications - Transcript - Interview Fiona Parker, ABC Central Victoria - 4 December 2025

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

SUMMARY: 

Maryborough pool, Federal election commitment, heritage listing, regional infrastructure, local government sustainability, Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program, Regional Partnerships and Precincts Program, Growing Regions Program, Coalition era Building Better Regions Fund, Financial Assistance Grants to Councils

Parker  

You're with Fiona Parker, back to the historic Maryborough pool. It was built in 1940, it's on the Victorian heritage register, and it had been having lots of issues. An assessment determined in 2022 that the pool had reached the end of its life and shouldn't reopen until it's basically demolished and rebuilt. So, they closed the pool precinct. They're kind of working on Stage One to get the octagonal pool, we know a lot of work done on that, and the pavilion as well. Stage Two is for that ‘learn to swim’ pool, 25 metre pool, and then you've got Stage Three demolition and rebuild of the 50-metre outdoor pool, which is what the locals are focusing on. That's the one they want back so they can dive into the pool, hold swim meets, be able to use that pool in summer and have that community outdoor space, but they now need another $5 million to complete the project. Nationals federal member for Mallee, which takes in Maryborough, is Dr Anne Webster, and she said at the earlier election that they weren't committing to funding the project, but she would fight for the pool – Anne Webster, good morning.

Webster  

Good morning.

Parker  

I understand that you're happy to fight for the project, but is it … just clarify what that actually means?

Webster  

Well, that means advocating for the project, in fact for - to be blunt - all regional infrastructure projects and the Maryborough pool, of course, as you beautifully explained, Fiona is a heritage pool. And you know, much of Maryborough … what I really love about it is that heritage component, like, there aren't many towns in Mallee where you've got the, you know, a gorgeous railway precinct, and many of the buildings are very old, and the pool is part of that. So, restoring that with its heritage listing, of course, is incredibly expensive. So, one of the things that I did immediately following the election, I'd run out of ‘fighting for’ funding when I was approached about it at that stage, but certainly raised it on our list, and will do so as we go forward. Obviously, we're not in government, so we don't get to write the cheques, but I'm pleased that Labor did commit that $4.5 million, and certainly have written to Catherine King in May this year following the election, asking for a timeline about that funding. I'll continue to do that, working with the Council, spoken with the mayor and Peter Harriott, and he's doing a great job by the sound of it just understands the processes and all that lovely red tape that no council wants to deal with. And the issue Fiona really is sustainability of local governments period and I've been fortunate to now carry the portfolio as Shadow Minister for Local Governments, and around Australia this is a common experience where councils are struggling to be sustainable. They're certainly asking me about increasing funding. They don't have enough funding just to do the day-to-day, let alone special projects such as the Maryborough pool, sure. So yeah, I'm in the space,

Parker  

But federal Labor did promise that money in the lead up to the last federal election, and the Coalition didn't.

Webster  

Yep, that's right, because, as I said to you, I had all … when I was approached about the pool, all of the ‘fighting for’ projects had already been determined. It's a process within every party. And the funding for the Central Goldfields Shire had already been committed to Deledio Pavilion and one other which escapes my mind right now, but don't you worry about that. It was definitely on the list and, you know, had we won government, then, of course, the programs, the funding programs that we had put in when we were in government, such as Local Roads & Community Infrastructure, which are untied, uncontested. So, each council gets a, you know, millions of dollars. Some councils get many, many millions of dollars to be able to do what they want to do with - so that fund has been removed. Labor are not using that funding any further. They've cut that. They've replaced the Building Better Regions funding, which was also very welcomed by councils across Australia for these kinds of projects, and they put in place the Regional Partnerships and Precincts program and also the Growing Regions Program. But what we found out in Senate estimates this week is that the total funding that has been provided to councils in terms of the application since 2022 when they announced it, 449 projects were put forward by councils, and just 10 per cent - 44 - have actually been approved and successful. 10 per cent is not a great figure. And same with Growing Regions. And now we find out that there is no more budget, Labor are not putting any budget into the Growing Regions fund in this coming budget, is what Senate estimates have found.

Parker  

Sure, look, we're getting a bit off track here, because you - I mean that they would say, they are funding projects across the country, perhaps in different ways, perhaps these .. there's more announcements coming, but you've spoken of councils not being able to afford something like a refurb of the Maryborough pool. So, who's … do you believe is responsible to ensure that the funds are there, and indeed, that Central Goldfield Shire Council can make up this extra $5 million they now need?

Webster  

Well, I do believe that federal and state governments have a responsibility to provide those untied, uncontested funding programs. That means that councils are not competing against each other. That is what takes all the work and the red tape involved in that, and the effort, particularly for small councils, is unviable, and what we have now across the country is that councils are in deficit, all over the place and really struggling. They're certainly talking to me about it, and I am currently in my role looking at, for example, at Financial Assistance Grants, which, at the moment sit around 0.5% of the Commonwealth revenue – that, every council is asking for that, funding to be increased. I'm certainly looking at the intricacies of how that formula is actually put together, and what it means, particularly for regional councils, city councils like Melbourne, let's face it, they might have a budget well over $5 billion but they … most of their revenue comes from their ability to have parking facilities and other ways that they can bring in the revenue. City of Brisbane, I was just meeting with couple of weeks ago, $4.2 billion budget, of which the FA grants is $40 million. Our little councils are trying to struggle with, you know, a $10, $11, $12 million budget, which has to pay for everything, everything that they do, including all the cost-shifting that state and federal governments are putting on them. So, it's a difficult space. Local governments have all my encouragement, and, you know, respect because of the work that they try and do with so little.  So, things need to change, and that's what I'm looking at.

Parker  

Indeed, at the Central Goldfield Shire Council, they are not a rich Council in any means, certainly, however, the CEO of that council, Peter Harriott, you know, was talking about construction costs going up as well. So, it's kind of unavoidable that the cost of this final project will rise, which it has. Thank you for joining us this morning. Dr Anne Webster, the Member for Mallee that takes in Maryborough. We've been speaking this morning about the outdoor pool in Maryborough … the entire precinct, in fact, a huge project to get to Stage Three, even to do those detailed designs and demolish and rebuild the 50-metre pool with a new concourse, and, you know, other access things and all of that. It's going to be a massive project. It's going to cost millions. They need more money now to do it, and we'll keep on top of where they end up.

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