Dale McNamara: $1.2 million for sports facilities

DALE McNamara, One Nation candidate for the Upper Hunter has announced $1.2 million in funding for inadequate female change rooms at sporting facilities throughout the Upper Hunter if he is elected.

Mr. McNamara is passionate about supporting local sporting teams and seeing female participation increase across all sporting codes. He says Singleton and other parts of the Upper Hunter have a vibrant sporting scene that is being let down by antiquated or absent facilities for female players. 

“Most of these women are having to change in their cars due to the insufficient change rooms allocated to women,” Mr. McNamara said.

After listening to the concerns of the sporting community, and hearing about how female players have been shortchanged by Labor and the Nationals, Dale wishes to announce that if elected he will hold the big parties to account.

Mr. McNamara will fight to ensure a greater percentage of Coal Mining Royalties are channeled back to where they belong, communities within the Upper Hunter.

In particular, to ensure a safe sporting environment for Upper Hunter area women, Mr McNamara will secure $1.2 million from the Coal Mining Royalties to fully fund the construction of new female change facilities at Pirtek Park Singleton. 

“A few weeks ago I was talking to Mark Latham, and we both said that we have to make a difference to the town so I am making the pledge today. If I get in, that will put the government into the minority,” Mr. McNamara said.

“$1.1 billion last year went down to Sydney and when I was listening to the launch of the rugby league, hearing about Morgan’s Engineering doing wonderful things like maintenance for things like sporting stands, I knew action was needed,” he said.

“I now have the information that this money went to Sydney, I was thinking that this is not good enough, especially when I heard that there were girls that were playing that had no change rooms, or if they do go into a change room, that its a big open space,” he said.

“There’s no privacy, and to me, that’s not safe so the pledge today is for $1.2 million to build a facility for Pirtek Park and this will just be the start.

“I can guarantee you know that I will be going for it. There’s going to be a fight because if we rely on Labor or the Nationals to keep doing what they are doing, I can tell you the money won’t be there,” said Mr. McNamara.

Treasurer for the women’s rugby league Kate Brumby said, “I came on board last year and I have my daughter who plays senior league stage”.

“She used to have to get changed in the car because there isn’t anywhere she could get changed. I decided then that we really need to update these facilities for females,” Ms. Brumby said.

“Dale got involved because his son Jamie McNamara has a lot to do with the club and is one of its biggest sponsors,” she said.

“Young females are having to get changed in these sheds where men can walk through at any moment because it’s all open plan,” she said.

“We had a meeting with Singleton Council a week ago, even they walked in and said this is unacceptable.

“These young girls want their privacy. I know my daughter doesn’t shower there or get changed there,” she said.

“Upgrading this facility is the next logical step for sporting in Singleton,” said Ms. Brumby.

Secretary for the women’s rugby league Leigha Gardner said, “we are just trying to provide the facilities for these girls”.

“The guys don’t really think about the girl’s team getting changed or showering, they just come and go,” said Ms. Gardner.

For more information on where candidates stand: Voting 101: Upper Hunter by-election.