Office of Sport Sport and Recreation centres

Office of Sport – Sport and Recreation centres – November 2016 (PDF version)

The PSA has written to all NSW politicians regarding the potential privatisation of all 11 Sport and Recreation centres across the state.

Dylan Smith and Anthony D’Adam from the PSA, accompanied by a delegate from the Narrabeen Centre, met with Minister Stuart Ayres on 19 October 2016.

The Minister stated while no decision has been made to privatise or outsource services, the Government is considering three possible courses of action:

• Business as usual

• Retain and optimise

• Lease and licence.

He told your representatives he understood the uncertainty this process would cause and hoped to have a position to take to Cabinet by the end of the year.

The Minister stated he was concerned the centres were underutilised and the focus of the Government was to utilise the facilities to the best of their capacity, with the best model possible. He added, should change occur in the future, his aim will be that staff would have a five-year guarantee of employment.

When challenged about the centres being sold off piecemeal, he avoided a direct answer by noting that eight out of the 22 groups who were engaged as part of market testing had expressed interest in all the centres

Minister Ayres also stated he was committed to continued engagement with the PSA throughout the process and noted the work already done by the PSA in arranging for representatives of all
11 centres and hoped that dialogue would continue into the future.

He emphasised the need for staff to be consulted and informed throughout the process and stated he had visited many of the centres, but would undertake to increase his direct communication with staff and hoped to provide a video update to them soon.

Greg Piper, the Independent MP for Lake Macquarie, has written to the PSA. His supportive letter can be viewed HERE, with the Private Member’s Statement he read to the Parliament on October 19.

A meeting with John Barilaro, the Minister for Regional Development at his Queanbeyan office, was attended by PSA staff and two PSA members on 21 October 2016. The attendees left feeling very positive as the Minister stated his personal view is the centres should remain as they are and what was needed was more government investment in the facilities. He stated the Deputy Premier was well aware of this view.

We encourage you, if you have not already done so, to sign and circulate our petition which has now been sent to all members of the PSA.

The petition can be viewed HERE.

The PSA shall continue our campaign against the privatisation of Sport and Recreation centres across the state.