No Fun on Darwin Waterfront

The Territory Opposition is calling on the Chief Minister to guarantee free public swimming at the lagoon to be built next to the Wave Pool as part of the Waterfront development.

When asked by Julia Christensen on ABC radio this morning the Chief Minister refused to guarantee free public swimming at the lagoon.

“It is outrageous that the Chief Minister is now backing away from providing a free public swimming area at the Waterfront,” says Terry Mills, Leader of the Opposition.

“One can’t help but be suspicious that the commercial interests of the Wave Pool are influencing the Chief Minister’s vacillation on providing free swimming at the lagoon next to the Wave Pool.

“The list of public amenities already cut by the Government is as long as the Chief Minister’s arm and now he’s considering flagging the end of free swimming at the lagoon.

“The plans for the Waterfront development indicate the lagoon will be used for water sports, which to my mind includes swimming.

“Territory families are the big losers every time another public amenity is lost from the Waterfront.

“The Chief Minister claimed he was going to govern in the interests of Territory families, now he’s refusing to guarantee the free swimming promised at the Waterfront.

“The cuts in public access have made Territory families the forgotten people in this project.

“We have already seen the Art Markets, Water Gardens, BBQ/Picnic, Marker Tower, Seating Terraces, Food Market Stalls, Amphitheatre, Swimming Pools, Children’s Playground and Cultural and Historical Centre cut from the project.

”I call on the Chief Minister to unequivocally guarantee that Territory families will be able to swim for free at the Waterfront lagoon.”

2008-06-19