{"id":36976,"date":"2026-01-20T21:44:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T10:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=36976"},"modified":"2026-01-20T21:44:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T10:44:38","slug":"government-must-step-in-to-save-big-splash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2026\/01\/20\/government-must-step-in-to-save-big-splash\/","title":{"rendered":"Government must step in to save Big Splash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>ACT Greens Member for Ginninderra, Jo Clay, has expressed concerns following the announcement that the Big Splash site has been repossessed by its Lenders, and called on the ACT Government to immediately step in to save the site.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really disappointing that the ACT Government didn\u2019t move faster to step in and address this issue. It was clear from the start there were serious issues in relation to the management of the site,\u201d said Ms Clay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve lost count of how many times I asked the ACT Government when they would start hard enforcement action, issue fines or consider a lease termination. But instead, the Minister took a backseat and we watched the inevitable slowly unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBig Splash is an iconic Canberra landmark that this Government has allowed to fall into ruin. That\u2019s simply not good enough, the residents of Belconnen \u2013 and indeed broader Canberra \u2013 deserve better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Government must now step in to save Big Splash and those conversations need to start today. Government ownership of the site is the safest pathway to ensure the community gets a pool on the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is imperative that this site be retained as a recreational area and I support the calls from Friends of Big Splash for a 50m pool and waterpark on the site. I\u2019ve also heard good ideas for hydrotherapy and an indoor sports and recreation centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are many in our community calling for these options as part of a better planned use of the site and we\u2019ve seen architect plans drawn up for such a facility. This is a key opportunity that Government must not miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a huge amount of passion amongst the community, but the current situation means the future of the site is precarious. The government must step in and ensure this site is retained for the good of the community,\u201d said Ms Clay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ACT Greens Member for Ginninderra, Jo Clay, has expressed concerns following the announcement that the Big Splash site has been repossessed by its Lenders, and called on the ACT Government to immediately step in to save the site. \u201cIt\u2019s really disappointing that the ACT Government didn\u2019t move faster to step in and address this issue. &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2026\/01\/20\/government-must-step-in-to-save-big-splash\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Government must step in to save Big Splash&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36977,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36976\/revisions\/36977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}