A community group representing Canberra swimmers is demanding urgent talks with ACT and federal politicians, branding the planned $138 million aquatic centre in Commonwealth Park a potential "waste of public money" for failing to replace the city's only dive pool.
Community Backlash Over Downgraded Facilities
The Friends of Canberra Olympic Pool is seeking an immediate meeting with Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Sport and Recreation Minister Yvette Berry, and ACT Labor Senator Katy Gallagher. The group's fury centres on the confirmation that the new centre, jointly funded by the ACT and Commonwealth governments, will not replicate the existing five-metre dive pool currently at the Civic site.
"Since we formed Friends of Canberra Olympic Pool three years ago, our first preference has always been to remain on the Civic pool site, but when Andrew Barr promised to build a replacement facility on a site nearby we accepted that offer in good faith," said the group's vice-president, Louise Watson. "We assumed that by 'replacement' he meant 'replacement' not something less than we have now."
Government Cites Cost and Site Constraints
Minister Yvette Berry stated last week that cost and the physical limitations of the Commonwealth Park site were the primary reasons for excluding a dedicated dive pool from the new plans. She suggested a dive pool could potentially be built elsewhere in Canberra at a later date.
A spokesperson for Chief Minister Barr added that while a dedicated dive pool was off the table for Commonwealth Park, "cost assessments for recreation diving facilities at the centre" were still underway. This leaves open the possibility of some form of diving provision, but not a like-for-like replacement of the current competition-standard pool.
The situation is further complicated by an unfulfilled election promise. Before the 2024 election, ACT Labor pledged to conduct community consultation on the best location for dive facilities in Canberra, a process that has not yet begun.
Calls to Rethink and Retain Civic Site
The Friends group is now pushing for a complete reconsideration of the plans. They argue that demolishing the Civic pool to make way for an entertainment precinct, before a new dive facility is built anywhere, will leave Canberra without any diving facilities for the foreseeable future.
"To spend $138 million on a new 50m pool without replacing Canberra's only dive pool, simply because the proposed site is unsuitable, is a waste of public money," Ms Watson asserted.
The group is advocating for the retention and upgrade of the current Civic pool facilities as a serious alternative. Ms Watson highlighted the site's advantages, describing it as "large and flat" and capable of accommodating a comprehensive aquatic facility for sports, safety training, exercise, and community wellbeing for decades to come.
"The Friends of Canberra Olympic Pool are dismayed by Minister Berry's announcement that the replacement pool in Commonwealth Park will not include a diving facility and that the dive pool in Civic will be closed before a new diving facility is built somewhere else in the ACT," Ms Watson said. The group's campaign sets the stage for a significant clash over the value and scope of one of the capital's most expensive recent public recreation projects.
