A Shorten Labor Government would boost community infrastructure in south-east Melbourne by investing $20 million in the Hawthorn Football Club’s planned Kennedy Community Centre.
The investment will unlock significant new opportunities for community sport and recreation by providing three new ovals and a multi-use indoor stadium.
It will also include space for outreach and programs including indigenous community engagement and promotion of mental health in association with groups including Beyond Blue, headspace and Deadly Choices.
The Kennedy Community Centre will be an important community facility for the entire community of Melbourne’s south-east.
With a total cost of more than $100 million, it will be located at Hawthorn’s new headquarters at Dingley Village, due to open by the end of 2022.
It will include:

• A new community pavilion and oval including gender equal facilities and amenities;


• A flexible education and learning place for delivery of engagement programs;


• Administration spaces so community and non-profit organisations can share the club’s resources;


• An indoor stadium for community basketball, netball and volleyball teams;


• Two more ovals for community sporting events.

The centre will facilitate greater participation in sport by women and girls as well as participants in junior sport, wheelchair AFL and other sports for people with disabilities.
As Australian cities continue to grow, access to recreational space is an increasing challenge for local councils.
Integrated facilities like the Kennedy Community Centre are part of the solution because their combination of sporting and community facilities offers potential benefits right across the community.
Local communities, including Dingley Village will benefit from the opportunities that the Kennedy Community Centre will bring.
Over nearly six years of cuts and chaos, the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government has dropped the ball when it comes to investing in community infrastructure.
A Shorten Labor Government would bring a new focus on the power of sport and recreation to build stronger, healthier and more inclusive communities.