Liverpool City Council has once again dunked its community in disappointment with the Carnes Hill Aquatic and Recreation Centre, a project that’s sunk from a grand vision to a watered-down compromise. Originally promised as a premier facility with a 50-metre pool with all the trimmings including Spa Sauna and Gymnastics and Learn to swim pool, has now been slashed to a basic 25-metre pool, and delayed until at least 2028, mired in financial blunders that stink of negligence. As Camden Council basks in the success of their Oran Park Leisure Centre opening last year, Liverpool locals are left with a vacant block of land and a bitter taste. Even the unanimous passing of a management plan on 26 November 2025 does little to ease the sting—why can’t our Council do better?
When plans for Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre were unveiled in 2022, alongside Camden’s Oran Park project, Liverpool residents were promised a transformative hub. A $53.4 million grant from the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants Program (formerly WestInvest) was secured to build a facility featuring a 50-metre indoor competition pool, leisure pools, and more, as per the funding deed signed in December 2023. This was to be a jewel in the Carnes Hill Recreational Precinct, boosting community wellbeing.
But the dream sank fast. By April 2024, just five months after the deed was signed, a Public Inquiry into Liverpool City Council on 1 August 2025 revealed a staggering cost overrun—estimates ballooned from $53.4 million to $93–100 million. The Council blamed outdated 2020 masterplan figures, unaccounted escalation costs, and post-COVID price hikes. Key staff who cooked up these numbers are no longer with the Council, leaving ratepayers with no one to hold accountable.
At an Extraordinary Governance Committee Meeting on 22 October 2024, the Council admitted defeat, endorsing a revised masterplan with a measly 25-metre indoor 8-lane pool for Stage 1, pushing extras like an outdoor 50-metre pool to a “future stage” reliant on phantom funding. Even this cut-back version costs $57.6 million, forcing a $4.265 million redirection from an internal reserve. How could the Council botch the budget so badly?
The Public Inquiry testimony of Ms Emily Tinson, Program Manager for the grants, lays bare the Council’s failures. An internal review of the cost blowout was done, but no independent external probe was sought—nor are there plans for one. This opacity screams negligence. Ratepayers deserve to know why multi-million-dollar projects were based on flimsy guesses without proper checks. Worse, the Council floated legal action against consultants for “fundamentally flawed” reports on Carnes Hill Stage 2, but a confidential report led nowhere. Is the fault with consultants or within Council walls? Why the hush?
Camden’s Triumph, Liverpool’s Shame
The contrast with Camden Council is a punch to the gut. A viral social media post highlights how Camden’s Oran Park Leisure Centre, completed for $65 million (originally budgeted at $50 million), opened with a 50-metre indoor heated pool, under ground parking, leisure and toddler areas, water attractions, a gym, sports stadium, and more. Announced around the same time as Carnes Hill in 2022, Camden delivered while Liverpool floundered. Oran Park is a regional gem, drawing families from Liverpool’s own backyard, while Carnes Hill remains an empty plot of broken dreams.
Liverpool’s downgrade to a 25-metre pool, cemented in the revised masterplan and a variation approved on 19 June 2025, is a betrayal. The Governance Committee report claims this aligns with community feedback for informal leisure pools and year-round usability, plus the Council’s Aquatic and Leisure Centre Strategy. But for many, it’s just another promise shattered by a Council notorious for letting its people down.
Community Rage Reaches Boiling Point
Liverpool residents are absolutely ropeable, and their anger floods social media over the past 7 days. “I live in Austral and take my kids to Oran Park Leisure Centre for swim classes. It’s a bit of a drive, but we love that facility. Wish we had something closer to Austral soon,” grumbles one parent. Another rages, “Same here. How disappointing when we could have driven 7 minutes up the road to Carnes Hill instead of an extra 15 to Oran Park. Mayor Ned Mannoun, take accountability and step down. Stop wasting ratepayers’ money. Families deserve better!” A lifelong local vents, “I’ve lived in Liverpool all my life, 70 years, and this is the worst Council we’ve ever had. All talk, no action for ratepayers. Not once did they ask us our vision for Liverpool.” Another fumes, “Keep comparing with Camden Council. Start with their sports hub—all-weather athletics track, modern netball courts, cycling track. And what does Liverpool have? Old netball courts, no athletics track, nothing.”
The fury is raw. Residents are sick to death of missing out, exhausted from trekking to neighbouring councils for decent facilities, and fed up with a leadership that can’t deliver. From the outdated Whitlam Leisure Centre to stalled upgrades at Craik Park Showground, the complaints pile up.
Lividpool’s Latest Letdown
This isn’t a one-off for Liverpool City Council. From endless infrastructure delays to governance scandals unearthed in public inquiries, the nickname “Lividpool” fits like a glove as community frustration festers. The Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre mess is the latest in a long line of letdowns. The Council’s unanimous vote on 26 November 2025 to adopt a Plan of Management might formalise the path forward, but with a target completion of November 2028 for just Stage 1, who trusts they’ll meet that deadline after such epic stuff-ups?
Mayor Ned Mannoun and the Council must face the music. Why weren’t costings nailed down before signing a deed? Why no external investigation into a $47 million shortfall? Why are ratepayers footing the bill for redirected funds and a downgraded facility? Camden’s success proves what’s achievable with proper planning and grit. Liverpool deserves more than half-baked plans and excuses.
