Multi-million dollar promises to build swimming pools in key electorates are experiencing budget blowouts and lengthy delays due to ballooning infrastructure costs and a lack of consultation with local councils.
During the 2019 election campaign, the federal government committed more than $100 million for swimming facilities in Coalition-held and marginal electorates and in 2020 the Department of Health said most of the projects would be underway within the next year.
But of the 13 new pools and pool upgrades funded, just three have been completed. One is an open air estuary pool in Mandurah, WA, and the other two, in Healesville in Victoria and Conondale in Queensland, are upgrades to existing facilities.
Only one of the new pools has started construction, with at least three of the projects facing a funding shortfall.
The new projects are reliant on state and council funding to make up the gap — even though in some cases councils weren't consulted about the grants and were reluctant to operate a pool in the first place.
Councillors at the Surf Coast Shire in Victoria even discussed giving the money for a pool in Torquay back, because they were concerned the council wouldn't be able to fund the rest of the project.
Some of the pools have received more funding promises this election campaign, from both sides of politics.
The federal Labor party also committed similar-sized funding pledges to at least two of the pools in the 2019 election.
Swimming lessons 'at least a three-hour trip'
The proposed pool in Torquay, in the marginal Victorian seat of Corangamite, is still at the design stage.
The council said the project was now fully-funded at $39.25 million, but the ABC understands there are concerns that rising building costs mean it won't be enough and construction will be delayed.
Local mother Ang Stewart takes her seven-year-old to Torquay Swim School, one of two privately-owned pools that offer lessons in Torquay.
She said the other pool had a lengthy waiting list and while the Torquay Swim School suits her youngest, it's only 17 metres long and her two older children have outgrown it.
On top of that, the facility is decades old and is closing down this year.
Ms Stewart said it was disappointing there were no other facilities available.
"At the moment it's actually not achievable for myself as a solo parent with three young kids, to get them into swimming lessons in Geelong, when it's at least a three-hour round trip," she said.
"To fit that in early in the morning or late at night — they're my options and we can't achieve that."
She said living near the ocean, it was vitally important her children could continue swimming lessons.
Pool projects can leave councils in huge debt
Elizabeth Taylor, senior lecturer for urban planning and design at Monash University, said there was a long history of both sides of politics — in both federal and state government — throwing money at projects during an election campaign that may not be feasible.
"Federal funding for pools is just promised because it looks good," Dr Taylor said.
"But because these facilities cost so much it puts an onus on councils … to contribute and sometimes they may never be in a position to give that kind of money."
Dr Taylor said, on average, it costs between $50 million and $70 million to build a new pool.
Often state governments made similar contributions to federal governments, which still meant local governments were expected to meet a substantial gap.
The biggest grant awarded under the Coalition's 2019 election pledges was $25 million.
Dr Taylor added that pools aren't great revenue-making facilities and can make a loss "for decades" due to heating, maintenance and the staffing levels needed — a cost that fell to councils.
Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson, who was the member for Corangamite during the 2019 election where two pools received grants, said the Coalition's funding promises were "integral in making these projects happen".
But some experts said the rigidity of the funding allocations could lead to local councils accruing debt and delivering projects over budget and years late.
Ms Stewart said the region desperately needed the pool and she was willing to pay higher rates to make it happen.
"I think there's a high proportion of people, myself included, [who] are happy to help fund [a pool]," she said.
Communities in need miss out
The funds were part of the federal government's Female Facilities and Water Safety Stream (FFWSS), which was criticised for being heavily skewed towards Liberal and National Party seats and having no guidelines or tender process.
The Greens tried to refer the funding program to the Australian National Audit Office in 2020 but the request was rejected because "an audit of the program … is not currently a higher priority than other audits currently included in the Annual Audit Work Program".
Dr Taylor pointed to the inequity of funding pools in areas that never applied for funding, while other local councils such as Brimbank Council in Melbourne's fast-growing west and an area of high socio-economic disadvantage, had been begging for federal and state funds for a much-needed pool for years.
The council was looking for the federal and state governments to jointly invest $25 million for the project but received just $1.5 million from the federal government and $2 million from the state government.
The pool is now expected to be completed by the end of the year and the council has provided more than $55 million of funding.
"They need a pool, there are hundreds of thousands of children nowhere near somewhere to swim and they aren't the ones getting federal funding and they were further along in terms of feasibility but they weren't offered any money," she said.
Brimbank Mayor Jasmine Nguyen said the pool was part of a health hub that would "deliver significant and measurable health and social health outcomes to the community".
"The federal seat of Fraser held by Labor MP Daniel Mulino, which takes in most of Brimbank, received just $811,278 in federal government grants across the last three financial years."
Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck said the commitments were "a part contribution to local projects" and local councils were responsible "for sourcing other revenue to meet the costs of the facilities".
"Any requests from councils for further funding — beyond the original commitments — are considered on their merits and subject to availability of funding," he said.
Shadow Minister for Regional Development Catherine King described the pool funding announcements as "splashy" and said it was "unsurprising" many had not started.
MP for Corangamite Libby Coker said an elected Labor government would commit $20 million for an indoor pool in Drysdale.
