Wodonga's councillors will be hoping their Albury counterparts will put their money where their mouths have been with a request for more cash for a new regional cricket hub.
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The Two Cities One Community initiative began back in October, 2017. At the time of the launch, Wodonga mayor Anna Speedie confirmed the two councils wanted to see at least one project come to fruition by the time their present terms end in 2020.
One of the projects it was hoped could be "re-ignited" was the Baranduda Fields sporting complex. It's been on the radar for Wodonga Council for about a decade but has repeatedly been overlooked for federal funding. That changed last week when the Coalition finally said it would stump up $10 million for the project, if it wins next month's federal election of course.
And now Wodonga Council is seeking another $100,000 from Albury ratepayers for the project, which would take Albury's financial contribution to $250,000. There can be no doubt that the benefits of such a sporting facility would flow on both sides of the Border, and the request for more funding from Albury would seem to be reasonable.
It's interesting to note that at the launch, Albury mayor Kevin Mack said the Two Cities One Community initiative would allow Albury and Wodonga councils to present united fronts to state and federal politicians in funding applications. If things turn out as Mr Mack would like in the seat of Farrer, he'll be one of those federal politicians, an independent member, not one of those doing the lobbying on behalf of ratepayers.
Current member Sussan Ley has claimed that independents are ineffective, and only governments can deliver. Ms Ley illustrated her point with a quote from Indi's Cathy McGowan before her election, promising to fix the North East rail line. While that was always going to be an overly ambitious promise, and one that the Indi MP might well now regret, Ms McGowan has been a tireless advocate on the issue. And if Ms Ley's view that only governments can get things done is true, then why after two terms of a Coalition government has the rail line not been fixed?
