“Have your say.” “Show your support.” “Email your councillors — and don’t forget to copy me in.”
That’s the message WA Labor MP Terry Healy is pushing in his latest email campaign about the long-discussed indoor swimming pool at Sutherlands Park.
At first glance, it reads like classic community advocacy.
The council has allocated $35 million to Stage 1 of the SPLASH project, and Mr Healy wants construction to begin immediately.
His message frames it as a win for the people — just send in your email, sign the petition, and together we’ll make it happen.
But let’s be honest about what’s really going on here.
This isn’t about community empowerment. It’s about data collection and political pressure. Mr Healy is using a highly emotional, long-running issue — a local pool — to harvest public support and private information, all while deflecting from one key fact: he knows $35 million isn’t enough to build the pool.
This isn’t speculation. He’s been told directly that the costs will exceed that amount. Construction prices have surged, materials are more expensive, and design and compliance costs alone are substantial.
Everyone inside this process — including Mr Healy — understands this.
And yet, he keeps pushing the council to “build now” or be seen as obstructing community progress.
It’s a disingenuous tactic designed to shame the City of Gosnells into making a financially reckless decision.
Healy is asking councillors to throw good money after bad, all while he plays hero in the margins of his next campaign leaflet.
Let’s be clear: without additional funding from the state and federal governments, this project isn’t viable.
Unless you want your local government to go into serious debt — the kind that triggers rate hikes and puts essential services under pressure — it would be irresponsible to proceed.
And when the economy stumbles (as it inevitably will), who pays? You do.
With rates that skyrocket “hard and fast,” to quote one local observer, and a budget black hole that punishes residents for years.
Meanwhile, Healy collects names, email addresses, and opinions. He builds his campaign database. And if history is any guide, he won’t be around when the project stalls or the financial consequences land in your next rates notice.
This is exactly the kind of political phishing we should all be wary of — especially after recent national scandals in data security.
In the wake of breaches at Qantas, Optus, and Services Australia, handing over your personal information just because a politician asked nicely is a mistake.
Terry Healy isn’t being honest with the community. He knows the funding isn’t enough. He knows the consequences. And he’s counting on you not to think too hard about it.
It’s time we all did.
