Liberal’s promise $37.5m for new Kensington basketball courts, beating Labor’s $2m pledge

The Liberal party is aiming for an election slam-dunk, promising to put $37.5 million towards new basketball courts in Kensington, beating Labor’s $2 million pledge. A major shortage of indoor court availability was revealed in December by The West Australian’s Dribble Podcast, with Basketball WA warning that thousands of children were missing out and stuck on waitlists for the sport as a result. Liberal Leader Libby Mettam will on Saturday promise to build a multi-sport stadium in Kensington with 12 courts, if elected in March. “We stand with 10,000 petitioners and the local community who think the Kensington site represents an amazing opportunity for South Perth and the wider community,” she is expected to say. “The WA Liberals are proud to, once again, show local leadership in the project that we believe in and in a site that accommodates the needs of the community. “Our Building a Better Future blueprint makes it clear that health is a top priority, which is why we are serious about investing to support the physical and mental health of our community by giving kids and adults the best opportunity to stay fit, active and connected through sport.” Labor committed $2 million towards planning for the project in November, but is yet to commit to funding towards construction. South Perth is a key election battleground, after Labor’s Geoff Baker was elected during the Mark McGowan-landslide, with a 17 per cent swing securing the shock win. New Liberal candidate Bronwyn Waugh said the Perth Redbacks Basketball Association and the Perth Reds Volleyball Association deserve a new home base. “With half the total funding on the table thanks to the WA Liberals, this is a big win for the residents of South Perth who’ve waited too long for the community facilities they desperately need,” she said. “They use more than 50 different venues to run programs and competitions, because of the under-investment in community sports. Kids shouldn’t have to sit on waitlists to play sport.”