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1. What was proposedJames MilliganLiberal · Opposition
   Read the original wording (410 words)

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) the ACT is facing a sportsground shortage and sportsground maintenance crisis; (b) there has been an increase in demand for sportsgrounds in Canberra due to: (i) the ACT’s growing population; (ii) an increasing sport and recreation participation rate; (iii) extended sporting competitions; and (iv) light improvements on grounds allowing for more usable hours; (c) since 2017, the ACT’s population has grown by 75,000 but the Government has only increased irrigated sportsgrounds by six hectares, the equivalent of two sporting fields; (d) the resulting increase in demand for existing sportsgrounds has placed greater stress on the turf which has impacted field quality; and (e) feedback received at the Canberra Liberals’ sportsground roundtable on 4 June 2026 from over 70 individuals representing over 40 different sporting clubs, associations and advocacy groups showed that: (i) increased usage of sportsgrounds is leading to a decline in field quality; (ii) the decline in field quality is making sportsgrounds unsafe, with some clubs already reporting injured players and volunteers; (iii) sportsground maintenance is not meeting the expectations of community members and clubs who pay their ground hire fees; and (iv) the responsiveness of the Government to these concerns has been limited by the poor resourcing of the sportsground management team; (2) further notes that: (a) during the Millennium drought the ACT Government closed several irrigated sportsgrounds across the Territory to preserve water, transforming them into dryland ovals; (b) the 2023 Urban Open Space Land Management Plan outlined a strategic framework for the possible reactivation of 14 of the 32 identified ovals; (c) Higgins 1 was the first dryland oval to be reactivated as an irrigated sportsground with a budget of $2,600,000 in 2019-2020; (d) Melba District Playing Fields has also been selected for a trial reactivation as one of the 14 identified ovals; and (e) the Government has not committed to a public schedule for the reactivation of the remaining 13 category 1 ovals; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) commit to an accelerated reactivation schedule for the dryland ovals in category 1, including: (i) plans for consultation with sporting associations, clubs and the community for the proposed ovals; and (ii) plans for the appropriation of necessary funds; (b) table this schedule in the Assembly by 17 September 2026; and (c) explore options, where appropriate, to allow for the booking of dryland ovals for training by clubs and junior leagues. Debate ensued.

2. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

   Decided on the voices: no individual votes were recorded, so this doesn’t show that every MLA agreed.