A Freedom of Information request made by Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) Mayor Josh Black for access to information around the pulling of funding for the Dubbo Indoor Sports Hub and PCYC has been denied by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
In receiving the refusal to provide the information under the Government Information (Public Access) (GIPA) Act 2009, Councillor Black has questioned the department's decision, asking “Is there something to hide?”
“I submitted a GIPA seeking access to communications between the Department and Ministers, Staff, Internal officers, the Office of Sport, and the PCYC in relation to the Regional Indoor Sports Hub in Dubbo but was told it will be denied as it is 'too broad'.
“Council is seeking to understand exactly what lead to the pulling of the funding to build the regional facility in Dubbo, however once again we have been blocked by red tape,” Clr Black said.
“Not once has our community been provided with a clear explanation on why the Sportsworld site was not a suitable variation for approval, there hasn’t been a guarantee that all the funding will stay in Dubbo and we have heard nothing on where nearly $50 million in funding is going. Despite Minister Tara Moriarty's claiming to have had conversations with the local community and Council on future investment opportunities for sports projects which are both deliverable and will increase opportunities available to the area, I haven't found anyone that has heard from her.
“Access to this information would allow us to review the documentation, correspondence and process involved and try to work out why Minister Moriarty has refused to build the Indoor Sports Hub in Dubbo,” Clr Black said.
In December 2024, Minister for Regional NSW and Western NSW Tara Moriarty stunned the region by issuing a media release clawing back $48.6 million of government earmarked for the long-awaited Indoor Sports Hub, outlining cost blow outs, delays and scope revisions as the reasons why funding had been withdrawn. At the time the Minister failed to make any comments as to why the PCYC's proposed variation to the Dubbo Sportsworld site had also been rejected.
Clr Black has since called for Premier Chris Minns to step in and save the sports centre.
“We need the Premier to reserve the $48.6 million of funding for this project so we can see it go ahead for the betterment of youth living in the Western Region. We know the Premier understands the power of the PCYC in working with the community and the power of assisting and creating programs for at risk youth, especially those from isolated Aboriginal communities,” Clr Black said.
Under the GIPA Act, members of the public are able to apply for access to information not kept on the public record. In refusing the request the Department advised the time it would take to process the application would “require an unreasonable and substantial diversion of resources”. The department determined approximately $2,000 payment would be required for the information.
“Paying for access to this information is a small price to pay to get transparent information around a decision worth nearly $50M for our community,” Clr Black said.