After a wait of some 2 years the committee of management for the Phillip Island Aquatic Centre Fund Inc. were very pleased to learn in November of 2010 that the Federal government was to re-introduce regional infrastructure funding that had been cancelled in January of 2008. It was this program we had prepared our funding applications for in late 2007. On The 11th of March this year, we were advised that the guidelines for a new round of funding had been released and expressions of interest called for. The PIAC Fund Inc. committee has registered their interest and work towards preparing new funding applications has begun. Much of the work done on the earlier applications is still quite valid and can be updated to current requirements. Much of the commercial funding and in-kind donations originally committed are still active and available to PIAC.

The feasibility study we commissioned in mid-year 2010 is now complete and PIAC Fund received the final draft of the study in mid March of this year. The study demonstrates quite clearly that there is a great need for such a facility on the island; it also demonstrates in absolute terms that an aquatic centre facility is wanted. Almost 8% percent of the community responded to the study a very significant number as the average response from this type of study is generally in the order of 1.5-3%. In fact the consultancy firm contracted to do the study could not quite believe the high numbers so another consultancy group was contracted to run a random telephone survey of the island community, the results were virtually identical.

The PIAC Fund committee and its members are no less determined now than in 2007 to continue with all of the new information gained over the last 12 months or so and take the strongest possible arguments to all levels of government in our endevours to construct an aquatic centre facility on Phillip Island.

I will also take this opportunity here to correct some quite erroneous information that has been rumoured of late. It is true that PIAC is late in delivering on a commitment to provide information from our study to the Bass Coast Shire however, the information was promised for early January 2011 not the eighteen months that has been suggested. In fact, over the past 10 months or so PIAC, our contracted consultancy and our committee members have held several meetings with Councilors and officers of the Shire to keep them abreast of our position. It is my belief that the inaccuracies stem from an arrangement proposed by the BCSC in March of 2009 that our two organisations form a partnership to undertake a feasibility study to determine the need for an aquatic centre in the Bass Coast Shire and where best that may be sited. Having worked with the Shire over some 10 months developing the guidelines, terms of reference etc for the study the Shire advised us that they had decided to undertake their own study, the target being an upgrade of the Wonthaggi centre. It was at this time that the PIAC Fund Inc. committee engaged the consultancy firm Sport & Leisure to undertake a study on behalf of the Phillip Island community. We expect the whole program to be resolved by this time in 2012.

Colin Grey