Broken Bay rec centre won't be sold, says Minister

The Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre is safe, according to the NSW Minister for Sport, Mr Stuart Ayres.

He said the State Government did not plan to sell the sport and recreation centre.

Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, Mr David Harris, had previously said the Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre was one of eight that had been earmarked for privatisation by the NSW Government.

However, a statement from the office of Mr Ayres said: "The NSW Government is committed to building a supporting a strong, vibrant and valued sport and active recreation sector to make NSW a better place to live.

"The Office of Sport is investigating service delivery model improvements for Sport and Recreation Centres across NSW," the statement said.

"Initial market testing has confirmed interest from industry for potential service improvements, however, further investigations will continue before any decision is made," it said.

"Some centres ... have been identified as potential locations for high performance facilities."

The Broken Bay camp was not mentioned as one of the centres slated a future high performance facility location.

The Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre is located between Juno Point and Walker Point in the mouth of the Hawkesbury River and is accessible by boat only.

According to Mr Harris, the "service delivery model improvements" referred to in the statement from Mr Ayres office, described the NSW Government's intention to lease the centre to a private operator.

Leasing the centres to private operators could result in the pricing of their use being placed out of the reach of schools and not-for-profit sporting and community organisations, he said.

"The NSW Government must rule out any privatisation or leasing of the public land these sport and recreation centres occupy to private developers which would allow the devastating loss of vital facilities," Mr Harris said.

"This decision from NSW Premier, Mr Mike Baird, puts at risk a formative and important experience that many kids in our region cherish," he said.

"As a former teacher and principal, I have attended many school camps and know first-hand the important role they play in developing young people's confidence and skills in an affordable way.

"For many children, it is their first time away from home," he said.

Media release, 25 Aug 2016

Zachery Harrison, Office of David Harris

Email, 29 Aug 2016

Anna Hindson, Office of Stuart Ayres