Yesterday, Elly Howse, the local NSW Labor Candidate for the seat of Balmain, visited the historic Callan Park in Leichhardt together with Labor leader Michael Daley to announce that NSW Labor would commit AU$10m towards the establishment of a Callan Park trust and the repair and revitalisation of the grounds.
The news is particularly exciting for the Balmain Para-Rowing Program because, as part of the announcement, NSW Labor has committed to support the Balmain Para-Rowing program, including providing the program with facility access in Callan Park.
As readers will be aware, Balmain Para-Rowing Program has been working tirelessly for over a decade to locate a suitable facility to maximize the opportunity for persons with disabilities and vulnerable members of the community to access the beautiful Sydney Harbour and the sport of Rowing.
In addition to helping protect Callan Park from falling into neglect and disrepair like so many other public facilities, NSW Labor is working to ensure the facility does not fall prey to developers or commercialisation through the establishment of the Callan Park Trust.
NSW Labor Candidate for Balmain Elly Howse said, “I welcome Michael Daley and Labor’s announcement today, people in this community want real action on Callan Park, not more talk.
“The community in Balmain has been calling for this kind of meaningful action to restore Callan Park for many years. Only Labor can deliver the investment that this heritage site needs.”
Unfortunately, the reaction of some other candidates and parliamentarians has been to suggest that Labor’s announcement is in some way an attempt to privatise the Park. We can’t understand this position, and, like all members of the community, want to see the end of fear-mongering and negativity in politics. As such, we call on all other parties and candidates to clearly set out their own intentions for Callan Park so the public can be fully informed – and in the interests or transparency we reproduce below the full media release from Labor:
