North Sydney Olympic Pool classed as a 'regional facility' when gaining Federal grant funding

The iconic North Sydney Olympic Pool, one of the world’s most distinctively placed aquatic facilities - sitting beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, was classed as a regional facility by a Federal Government funding program.

In the latest expose relating to how the Federal Government directed funds to Coalition-held and marginal constituencies prior to the last election, it has been revealed that North Sydney Council was awarded a $10 million from the Federal Government’s Female Facilities and Water Safety Stream - a program aimed at regional areas.

With the Council’s plans to upgrade the landmark pool having already encountered a range of obstacle and costs spiralling, the Council obtained funds from the scheme, announced weeks before the Federal election last May.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg made the $10 million election commitment when he visited the pool - in a safe Liberal seat - with North Shore MP Trent Zimmerman and North Sydney Council's Mayor Jilly Gibson last April.

While originally designed to build female change rooms and upgrade community swimming pools in rural and regional areas, it emerged yesterday that the Council had secured the funding for its $58 million projects during the wider Senate inquiry to the so-called ‘sports rorts’ scandal.

The Federal funding was on top of $10 million from the NSW Government and $38 million from the Council’s own resources.

Speaking to media after the revelation, Mayor Gibson said she was "surprised" to learn that the Federal Government contribution promised for the project was drawn from the Female Facilities and Water Safety Stream but suggested that the Olympic Pool was a regional facility as it attracts school swimming carnivals from "the other side of the bridge".

Adding that she felt the funds were "Federal Government money well spent", Mayor Gibson highlighted how North Sydney Council was "trying to preserve and improve such an iconic pool, that is part of our Olympic history".

Speaking to the ABC’s 7.30 Report, she went on to say "I maintain (the pool) is a regional facility. It's used by people from all over the state and throughout the country. We have a lot of international tourists coming through the turnstiles every day.

"It's one of the most Instagrammed pools in the world, I believe. It isn't your average suburban swimming pool."

Going on to explain the need for the upgrade of the facility, Mayor Gibson told the ABC that the female change rooms at the Olympic Pool hadn't been upgraded since they were built in 1936 and the pool was used for a "wide range of recreational purposes".

She added “we have schools from the inner west who have their carnivals each year, it's not just schools from North Sydney who have their carnivals there. It's schools from the other side of the bridge. We have schools from regional areas who have their carnivals there.”

The Federal grant, first reported by the ABC on Wednesday, drew criticism from independent Councillor Zoe Baker, who said she was "shocked" and "not aware the council has made any formal application to that funding scheme". In any case, she said, it appeared the inner city council would not be eligible.

Councillor Baker said she supported seeking funding contributions from governments to help fund the redevelopment, but pointed out “my big concern is I don't see how it's justified that a metropolitan council like North Sydney should receive funds earmarked for rural and regional areas," she said.

Zimmerman said in a statement the Council had identified the pool's restoration as "a critical issue beyond its own financial capacity due to serious structural issues".

He added "I’m proud that during the federal election campaign I was able to secure a Coalition election commitment to contribute $10 million to North Sydney Council’s project.”

The Female Facilities and Water Safety Stream was created in March 2019 and announced by the Federal Government as a measure to "remove barriers" for women participating in sport "in our regions", and to develop and upgrade community pools in remote and regional areas.

A Federal Government brief states that the fund's stakeholders were "regional and remote communities" and that its impact would be "support for women's participation in sporting activities in our regions and strengthening regional sustainability, capacity and diversity".

When the program was unveiled, the Federal Government said in a statement that "further details on the change room and swimming facilities fund will be released later in 2019".

To date, no further details were ever released to would-be applicants.

Images: North Sydney Olympic Pool (top) and plans for its redevelopment (below).