Work begins on Port playground repairs amid safety fears for children

Kim Waters
Work to fix a dilapidated Portarlington playground is underway after parents expressed safety fears for children.
The area’s foreshore committee started fixing the Newcombe Street playground this week following complaints its equipment was damaged, unusable and dangerous.
Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management chief Tim Page-Walker said the playground would be replaced in the next 12 months.
“We’re still waiting for some approvals but it was always scheduled for replacement this year,” Mr Page-Walker said.
“It’s a relatively old playground but we maintain it on a regular basis. We have a very strict policy in regards to risk management and if anything was dangerous it would be removed.”
Portarlington’s Catherine Alizzi labelled the playground an unsafe eyesore.
“The welding on some equipment is so rusty, it’s become dangerous,” she said.
“The climbing chains, flying fox, balancing chains, noughts and crosses game and spinner are all broken.
“I don’t know of any other area that would leave playground equipment in such a state.”
Ms Alizzi said the playground was a symptom of overall neglect of Portarlington’s public facilities
“There isn’t a great deal of stuff in the town and what is here isn’t maintained properly or regularly,” she said.
“When you look at the new playground in Queenscliff it makes us feel like a poorer cousin and like ratepayers here aren’t getting very good value for their money.”