3 February 2025
Independent North Sydney MP Kylea Tink has called for state and federal intervention to mitigate an “untenable” 87% rate increase proposed by North Sydney Council, linking the proposal to cost overruns on the North Sydney Pool renovation project.
“The last thing anyone needs right now is a large increase to their council rates – and a whopping eighty-seven per cent increase to rates due to cost blowouts associated with the North Sydney Pool renovation is simply untenable,” Tink said.
Tink argued that local ratepayers should not be forced to bear the consequences of what she described as politically motivated funding decisions. She criticised the former federal Coalition government for allocating $10 million to the project ahead of the 2019 election, claiming the funding reshaped the upgrade into a significantly more expensive redevelopment.
“What was meant to be an upgrade of the bathrooms turned into a complete debacle thanks to the unnecessary intervention of the former Scott Morrison Liberal government,” Tink said in a statement. “That injection, a bid to retain the seat, meant the project had to be reshaped to accommodate the Liberal Party’s wishes, and as a result we have seen cost blowout after cost blowout and delay after delay.”
She said those involved in both the granting and acceptance of the funding should be held accountable, arguing that while the current council was now attempting to manage the issue, it was not responsible for the initial mismanagement.
Tink also called on the federal government to contribute to the completion of the project, despite it being initiated under the previous administration. “Ultimately, we would never have gotten into this mess without the initial federal intervention,” she said.
She reiterated her stance on the need for public funds to be allocated only with a robust business case, stating that the absence of such documentation in 2019 had left the North Sydney community burdened with rising costs.
“The local community cannot be the ones left carrying the can, and I call on the current council not to resort to astronomical rate rises to try and fix it,” she said. “It’s time for all parties involved in the creation of this mess to work together to publicly communicate a plan and a timetable for reopening North Sydney Pool.”
One issue with the Tink analysis is that the bulk of the proceeds of the proposed 87% rate rise are intended for purposes other than the pool, including to fund a separate $140 million+ infrastructure program as well as additional wage and services requirements. The cost of the pool has blown out by around $55 million.
However, the Teals have been targeted by criticisms of rate rises proposed by Northern Beaches Council, which is controlled by teal-aligned independents and Greens, which have enabled Liberal activists there to land their first real blows on the independent movement.