Bombshell FOI drop blows up Bendigo Showgrounds project
- Dale Webster
- 20 hours ago
- 20 min read
Updated: 8 minutes ago
DOCUMENTS released under Freedom of Information have revealed that contrary to statements made to ratepayers and the media, the City of Greater Bendigo was fully responsible for the Bendigo Showgrounds Master Plan Project and had told the Government it would undertake a significantly greater level of consultation than it delivered.
The documents also reveal the funding for the master plan was granted on the basis that key stakeholder groups such as the Bendigo Steam and Oil Preservation Group, Sheep and Wool Show and other groups based at the showgrounds would have a place on a “Project Control Group” and have equal say on critical elements of the project along with the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society, Development Victoria and the council.
These critical elements included defining the scope and Terms of Reference for consultation and engagement.
Despite the completed master plan clearly showing community involvement fell well short of commitments made by the City of Greater Bendigo in its funding application, Regional Development Victoria not only signed off on the grant acquittal without question, it even coached council on what to write to pass the final evaluation.
This information throws the Victorian Government’s Bendigo Showgrounds Redevelopment Project that is now underway into even deeper controversy, confirming statements by showgrounds stakeholders that there had been no consultation undertaken before the key works were put out for tender are correct.
The documents
A Freedom of Information request was lodged with the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR) on May 9, 2025. It asked for documents related to the Bendigo Showgrounds Master Plan Project from 2018-19 including grant applications, executed grant agreements, grant acquittal reports, any written or electronic correspondence related to the grant awards, ministerial briefs and payment records.
Also requested were funding agreements for works to be undertaken as part of Sport and Recreation Victoria's current $19.1 million Bendigo Showgrounds Redevelopment Project, all submissions received during the project's community engagement round from March 6 to April 3, 2025, and the consultation report as required under clause 52.3 of the Bendigo Planning Scheme (State Projects).
The notice of decision to release this information in part came through on July 8, 2025, but the department stated that the City of Greater Bendigo had disagreed with its decision and as a result the documents could not be accessed for another two months, during which time contractors were appointed and project works commenced.
The key documents linked to the master plan that have been released are:
The grant application submitted by the City of Greater Bendigo to Regional Development Victoria in 2018 for $50,000 to develop a master plan for the Bendigo Showgrounds;
Ministerial correspondence including the reasons why the master plan project was being recommended for funding and the letter advising the grant application had been successful;
The master plan project funding agreement;
A record of email correspondence between the department and the City of Greater Bendigo during the master plan project;
The completion report submitted by the City of Greater Bendigo to the department to finalise and acquit the master plan project grant; and,
The engagement summary from the 2025 Bendigo Showgrounds Redevelopment Project.
Some of the documents are heavily redacted but the message the City of Greater Bendigo wanted to give the government, and the Government’s understanding of what was to be delivered, is still very clear – this was to be a project that would break new ground in community consultation, delivering a true vision of what the Bendigo community wanted for the future of its showgrounds.
1. Grant application
In July 2018, the City of Greater Bendigo applied for a $50,000 grant from Regional Development Victoria under its Stronger Regional Communities Plan (Community Capacity Building stream).
The money was to be used to part-fund a project to develop a master plan and business case for the Prince of Wales Showgrounds in Holmes Rd. Another $50,000 of ratepayer and community money would bring the total value of the project to $100,000.
The purpose of the master plan would be to “provide a clear pathway forward for the future business operations of the Bendigo Showgrounds and provide the evidence to support decisions to invest in development of the facility”.
This evidence was to be collected through “comprehensive engagement” with a “wide group of stakeholders that would otherwise not be engaged with planning of this nature”.
The application listed a number of key user groups, stating a plan would “need to provide for a wide range of needs”.
“Comprehensive engagement with all current and potential user groups is therefore a requirement to completing a Masterplan that will be embraced by the community and allow the venue to be developed for a successful future,” council’s Manager of Business Services (name redacted) said on behalf of Chief Executive Craig Niemann.
The application is littered with similar statements:
“The engagement and planning process will build community capacity by encouraging and providing opportunities for a wide range of stakeholders to contribute towards planning for future growth in the region’s events infrastructure.”
“The study will also provide the opportunity for the community of potential users to participate in decision making.”
“The project will also include wide ranging, in-depth engagement with a number (of) current and potential user of the Bendigo Showgrounds. This will help to develop an evidenced based, informed Masterplan and Business Case that will provide a clear pathway for the future of the Bendigo Showgrounds.”
The application provided detailed information on the responsibilities of a “Project Control Group” that would oversee the project from start to finish, stating that its role would include:
Defining scope and Terms of Reference for consultation and engagement;
Appointing a suitably qualified consultant to undertake consultation;
Establishing realistic timeframes and monitoring delivery against the project;
Communicating and promoting the project to relevant stakeholders and user groups;
Working with reference group to ensure technical needs of the site are considered;
Review and endorse draft project documentation; and
Monitoring project performance.
It also listed who would be represented on the Project Control Group and have a seat at the table when decisions were being made about the development of the master plan:
City of Greater Bendigo
Bendigo Agricultural Show Society
Bendigo Steam and Oil Preservation Group Museum
Australian Sheep Breeders Association – Australian Sheep and Wool Show
Bendigo Leisurefest Roadshow
Regional Development Victoria
Other local clubs based at showgrounds
(There were nine main clubs based at the showgrounds at that time. Ones not directly mentioned in the application include the Veteran, Vintage and Classic Club of Bendigo that runs the Bendigo Swap Meet, Bendigo Garden Club, Bendigo Poultry Club, the Bendigo branch or the Avicultural Society of Australia and the Bendigo Brick Lego group.)
Council said a “reference group” consisting of key user groups would also be established to guide the appointed consultant and the Project Control Group on the technical requirements for the site. It said reference group membership would be expanded and amended as appropriate and necessary.
“The project will be collaborative in nature, managed by the City of Greater Bendigo and overseen by a Project Control Group consisting of key community members,” the grant application said.
“The City of Greater Bendigo will be responsible for reporting and managing the delivery of this project.”
2. Ministerial correspondence
In correspondence from the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) dated August 20, 2018, the Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford was given the funding recommendations for the Stronger Regional Communities Plan for that year.
The Bendigo Showgrounds Master Plan Project was being supported and a brief summary explained why it met the “community capacity building” objectives.
“The funding will enable council to undertake deep and extensive community consultations with diverse user groups who would not otherwise be engaged in planning activities,” Minister Pulford was told.
The depth of consultation promised was highlighted as a reason for the project being recommended for funding.
“The project will engage with the showground’s diverse multiple user groups and consult potential future users of the site, providing them with an opportunity to participate in decision making for any future facilities development,” the Minister was told.
Ms Pulford signed off on the project funding on August 23, 2018, wishing “Craig” (chief executive Craig Niemann) every success and saying that she looked forward to hearing about the outcomes of his project.
3. The funding agreement
The funding contract between DEDJTR and the City of Bendigo for the master plan project was finalised on October 10, 2018.
As acting chief executive, Bernie O’Sullivan agreed council would lead and manage the “Bendigo Showgrounds consultation and engagement project”, with the planning process to engage with the showground’s diverse user groups, including community who would not otherwise be engaged in planning activities.
The contract stated these groups included but were not limited to:
Bendigo Agricultural Show Society;
Australian Sheep Breeders Association - Australian Sheep and Wool Show;
Bendigo Steam and Oil Preservation Group Museum;
Bendigo Leisure Fest Roadshow;
Promotors of major events e.g. Groovin the Moo;
Local clubs based at showgrounds; and
Greater Bendigo City Council.
The contract also stated council would engage a consultant to undertake the project and that the consultant would compile a report detailing findings and key recommendations for council and the Project Control Group.
It was an explicit term of the contract that the project engage all relevant stakeholders and user groups and that the findings of that engagement inform the development of the master plan and business case.
In the finer detail, there were clauses stating:
the funding application formed part of the funding agreement and that the activity delivered must be consistent with that document; and
funding would only be paid after evidence demonstrating that council had completed agreed actions was provided and accepted.
The date set for council to report the findings of the engagement with key stakeholders was May 6, 2019.
4. Correspondence
Some items of correspondence between the City of Greater Bendigo and DEDJTR about the project were included in the FOI document release.
The emails mainly centre around reporting on project milestones and it is not known if this is a complete record. For instance, there was no correspondence related to a report on stakeholder engagement being submitted in May 2019 as required.
Several of the emails are from the November-December 2019 period and relate to milestone reporting being overdue and the finalisation of the project.
In the emails, a department representative coaches the City of Bendigo on wording to use, sending a document with “suggested changes to the Progress Report and Project Plan” and returning the online report back to “make the edits”.
Suggested responses to a question in the completion report were also provided.
The emails confirm that the City of Greater Bendigo sent a final copy of the Bendigo Showgrounds Master Plan and Business Case to DEDJTR on December 23, 2019.
5. Completion report
The City of Greater Bendigo submitted the final project evaluation report to DEDJTR on January 15, 2020.
What stands out in this document is that the information in the section addressing “what the project will achieve” that was supposed to align with what was written in the grant application (the form even directs council to refer back to its original response before answering) does not match the grant application.
The information is significantly different.
There is no mention of consultation and new goals have been introduced.
For example, this objective has been left out:
“The project will engage with the showground’s diverse multiple user groups and consult potential future users of the site, providing them with an opportunity to participate in decision making for any future facilities development.”
And these objectives have been introduced:
"Ensure the Master Plan is creative and contemporary yet achievable and practical.”
"Ensure the Master Plan aligns to the Bendigo tourism market."
"Ensure the Master Plan is appealing for government funding and explore potential funding streams.”
There is a section where council is required to “describe the broader outcomes of the project including any unanticipated outcomes”.
Council is asked to provide evidence and/or data that demonstrates the project had met the anticipated outcomes and again was directed to read the information it provided in the “Why is the activity needed?" section in the grant application before answering.
This section in the grant application contained just over 1000 words. It is where council told the department/minister “comprehensive engagement with all current and potential user groups is therefore a requirement to completing a Masterplan that will be embraced by the community and allow the venue to be developed for a successful future”.
It is also where it said the project “will strongly support engagement with a wide group of stakeholders that would otherwise not be engaged with planning of this nature” and “the engagement and planning process will build community capacity by encouraging and providing opportunities for a wide range of stakeholders to contribute towards planning for future growth in the region’s events infrastructure”.
The response provided by council in the completion report was just 111 words and no supporting evidence was provided.
This is all it wrote:
“Bendigo Showgrounds and City of Greater Bendigo have worked collaboratively on developing the plan for future development. A key opportunity identified is the possibility of using the facility for local sporting events and both parties will continue to advocate for developing the facility as well as work with Vic Roads on amending the permit conditions on site. The continued collaboration will be integral to ensure the growth of the site and further maximizing the potential that could be unlocked with further development. This activity was needed to assess market, identify opportunities and threats to the Bendigo Showgrounds and also enable a strong evidence based framework for future upgrade and renewal works.”
Council was then asked to describe the key factor/s that contributed to the success of the project.
Its answer was even more succinct: “Getting all stakeholders together regularly throughout the project”.
The final question in the evaluation was to describe the biggest challenges and/or learnings from the project. Council made just two comments:
“Legacy items from previous developments and getting all stakeholders to be able to look at the big picture opportunities.”
"Differing views on what the precinct could be used for in the future and how new uses might conflict with the historical use of the facility.”
Like the grant application, it was signed by the City of Greater Bendigo’s Manager of Business Services (name redacted).
The master plan
The one missing document remains a copy of the Bendigo Showgrounds Master Plan and Business Case.
It was not included in this release of documents under Freedom of Information even though both a draft copy and the final report were sent by council to the department as part of the reporting requirements for the grant.
The City of Greater Bendigo is still disputing the release of the master plan under Freedom of Information, haggling over the cover and index pages.
The only public version of the master plan remains the one published by The Regional on April 14 this year, obtained only after a personal $60 membership to the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society was taken out and the request could not be refused.
This followed the City of Greater Bendigo stating that it was not its report to give out.
“The 2019 Prince of Wales Showgrounds Masterplan was a partnership document created by Bendigo Agricultural Society, Development Victoria and had some contribution from the City,” City of Greater Bendigo’s Manager of Customer Engagement and Communications Brooke Pearce said on March 20.
“The site is managed by the Bendigo Agricultural Society, and I recommend you direct your enquiries to their committee.”
Emails to the show society from The Regional requesting a copy of the master plan went unanswered.
After being approached by a number of ratepayers, residents and stakeholder groups concerned about the upgrades planned for the showgrounds, the Victorian Residents and Ratepayers Association wrote to City of Greater Bendigo Chief Executive Andrew Cooney on March 25 requesting a copy of the master plan to help it “better understand the clearly articulated frustration and confusion over this project’s processes and procedural integrity”.
More than six months later the association says it is still waiting for a reply.
As previously reported in How the Bendigo showgrounds project became a sports rort (without the sport), there are good reasons the master plan has never seen the light of day.
The “deep and extensive community consultations” promised by City of Greater Bendigo in return for a large slab of taxpayer money never eventuated.
On examination, the master plan reveals that stakeholder engagement consisted of just two workshops (one with City of Greater Bendigo staff and the other with the show society executive), a phone call about the Swap Meet, discussions with Energy Breakthrough and cycling clubs about potential future use and a Survey Monkey poll that attracted just 21 responses.
There appears to have been no “Project Control Group” and if there was, none of the stakeholders cited in the funding application other than council, the show society and Development Victoria were represented.
This is not just a case of inadequate or poor consultation – the essential engagement with user groups and community that was expected from this project because of commitments given by the City of Greater Bendigo was not undertaken.
2025 redevelopment
At 6pm on March 18 this year, 13 Bendigo Showgrounds stakeholders joined an online webinar run by Development Victoria that they believed was part of the opening consultation round for a major redevelopment of the site.
The project, it was explained, was among 60 being delivered by Development Victoria as part of the Regional Sports Infrastructure Program, with the showgrounds redevelopment one of three in Bendigo.
The key elements of the showgrounds project would be a new pavilion, an arena upgrade and upgrades to existing entries and fencing.
Development Victoria project director Amanda Harris told the group that the Government had been working closely with the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society and City of Greater Bendigo and that “both really understand the community needs and how this infrastructure should be best utilised”.
She made reference to “the types of different events that will be able to be held on the revitalised arena” and said the project was “responding to the need to plan build and operate community sport and active recreation infrastructure within the Bendigo region”.
Development Victoria project manager Leanne Longmuir then addressed the group to explain the finer details of the project.
Ms Longmuir informed the group tenders for the project had already been shortlisted and an application for planning approval under clause 52.3 of the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme (State Projects) been submitted.
Then, under questioning, despite assurances the arena size would not change, it was revealed that the usable area was going to be significantly cut by the removal of the sand track around the perimeter and repositioning of the fence six metres in from its current location.
At this point things started to go pear-shaped for the presenters.
“Are you able to tell us who you have consulted regarding the horse area,” the panel was asked.
Ms Longmuir put the responsibility for this on to the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society (BASS), saying she did “not know” if it had consulted with equestrian users.
The panel was then told how the removal of the track and repositioning of the fence would make the arena area less functional and asked if the arena works were “up for negotiation?”
Kathryn Dugdale, a senior project manager with Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV) answered:
“The scope of works is currently set, which includes the repositioning of the fence.”
The panel was then asked, “if the scope of works has already been set why is this being called a consultation process?”
The answer came from Amanda Harris.
It was a rambling statement but in essence she said Sport and Recreation Victoria, the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society and the City of Greater Bendigo were in the best position to understand community needs so Development Victoria had worked with them to determine the main scope items for the project.
She said the consultation process was just for tweaking and refining minor elements and Development Victoria would talk to the show society about the feedback it was receiving. (Full statement available for download.)
Development Victoria has provided no other statements on the project.
Responses to media inquiries have come from the Office of the Premier, Jacinta Allan, with a spokesman stating that the funding for the project under the Regional Sports Infrastructure Program was allocated on the basis of previously established need.
This is where we arrive back at the words that open Craig Niemann’s grant application for the master plan funding:
“It is anticipated the completion of the project will provide a clear pathway forward for the future business operations of the Bendigo Showgrounds and provide the evidence to support decisions to invest in development of the facility.”
Engagement summary
The consultation period for the Bendigo Showgrounds Redevelopment Project ran from March 6 to April 3, 2025.
Community consultation is a requirement of clause 52.3 planning applications, replacing traditional rights to object to and appeal (referred to by the government as “notice and review”) state projects.
The consultation process is required to be so thorough that all issues are dealt with before the application is lodged.
A report summarising all consultation activities undertaken and how the feedback has been considered and responded to must be prepared for the Minister for Planning.
The consultation report from this project was one of the documents requested from DEDJTR under Freedom of Information.
Only a summary of the Engage Victoria consultation was released, so no information on how the feedback was responded to is available.
According to the summary, the eight “key insights” from community feedback included:
Opposition to reducing the arena size: strong concerns that shrinking the arena would negatively impact lure coursing and equestrian events. many cited safety risks, compliance issues, and the potential loss of key events at the showgrounds.
Importance of the perimeter track (sand track): the track is viewed as essential for safety, warm-ups, and as an alternative surface in wet weather. concerns were raised that removing it would reduce the functionality of the arena and access to competition rings.
Impact on equestrian and agricultural events: questions were raised about how the changes would affect the Bendigo Agricultural Show’s horse section, stabling, and parking for horse floats. Some equestrian representatives noted they were not consulted before the plans were developed.
Economic impact on Bendigo: Concerns that reducing arena space and altering facilities could drive equestrian and dog sporting events elsewhere, resulting in lost tourism revenue for local businesses.
Infrastructure and event accessibility: feedback emphasised the need for improved power supply, audio systems, and better traffic flow at the showgrounds to support major events such as the Bendigo Swap Meet. Some respondents questioned whether new buildings would be viable for hire given current cost constraints.
Consultation process and transparency: there was frustration that key user groups felt excluded from early discussions and that the consultation appeared to be taking place after key decisions had already been made. Questions were raised about the transparency of the planning process.
The engagement summary is 19 pages and includes all comments and submissions made online, as well as a summary of questions asked during the webinar and drop-in session.
The full document is available for download, but this is just a small selection of the community feedback.
- I’m very sad to hear that without consultation with the many equestrian peak bodies that use Bendigo Showgrounds the arena size will be significantly reduced. Bendigo showgrounds is used extensively by the equestrian community and no doubt brings in quite a bit of revenue when the large shows are held. By reducing the arena size you are making the grounds unworkable and unsafe for warming up and competing in equestrian sport. This is a very disappointing decision to hear about.
- The proposed changes in the project will greatly reduce the abilities of both the equine and dog communities to hold shows, pony club and sporting events. This will in turn decrease revenue to Bendigo on the surrounding areas as people like myself, who travel there for shows and competitions, will no longer be able to as the venue will no longer exist as it currently does.
- Upgrades to the perimeter track of the arena which appears to remove it from the area within the arena boundary is likely to reduce the total arena size below the minimum required for a safe lure coursing field. The lure coursing community value this field highly as one of our primary fields for events during the year and already find it difficult to find suitable spaces to run events.
- Many major horse clubs hold qualifying events for royal shows at this venue. A smaller arena may impact their ability to host and run competitions effectively.
- Reducing the size of the oval impacts lure coursing events, which are held about six weekends a year. The reduced size will impact potential for injury for dogs running at full speed 60km/hr and there will be more chance of running into the fence. The sand around the oval provides a safe run off area preventing injury to dogs.
- Bendigo is one of the few regional grounds suitable for running large horse shows, no other grounds nearby have the combination of stable numbers and arena space required to facilitate these. The complete disregard shown towards smaller community groups shown by Bendigo council with this supposed upgrade is deplorable.
- Removing the sand track in the arena will negatively impact both dog and horse events that use these grounds, most likely rendering the grounds useless for these sporting clubs.
- As a member of the community and a committee member who runs the Bendigo National SWAP Meet, I question the need to remove the ‘Track’. We utilise all that space and I’m sure some of the horse activities with other groups will miss it too. We are struggling to fill the existing BEC and REC buildings due to the cost/value of hiring, so I’m doubtful we can utilise a new building.
It is clear from the feedback that at least one sport – lure coursing – will be lost to Bendigo because of the decision to reduce the size of the arena, as well as the biggest and most lucrative of the equestrian events that require all the arena space that is currently available.
The full document is a lot for anyone to take in, yet just eight days after the consultation closed on April 11 – just 48 working hours – the Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny, supposedly in possession of the report, quietly approved the planning application.
This is despite Ms Kilkenny also being aware of allegations of grant rorting in relation to sports infrastructure funding being used to build a market shed at the showgrounds instead of a sports pavilion recommended in the master plan.
Development Victoria’s website page on the project has not been updated with the information planning approval has been granted, nor have stakeholders who registered for updates from the project been notified.
Development Victoria was asked for a copy of the planning permit on September 24 to see if any of the stakeholder feedback has been incorporated into the final works, but the department has not responded.
Here and now
At this point no one except the City of Greater Bendigo, the Bendigo Agricultural Show Society and the Victorian Government knows whether the Victoria’s largest showgrounds arena is about to lose at least 12,000 square metres (three acres) of usable space.
If going head, the work to rip up the track will not start until after this year’s Swap Meet is held on November 15 and 16.
Regardless of whether the Victorian Government has done the right thing and amended its plans in response to community feedback, the showgrounds master plan is going to remain an ongoing headache for it.
Given what has been learnt from the documents released under Freedom of Information, the plan can't be used as evidence of previous stakeholder consultation and if there was no stakeholder consultation, the proposals it contains are nothing more than spit-balling by the council, show society executive and Development Victoria.
The plan is not fit for purpose and, now this information has been made public, disrespectful to the showgrounds stakeholders who were named as major partners and then left out of the process.
With a strong bias towards tourism and entertainment at the expense of traditional agricultural activities (recommending stables be replaced with a food and wine area for example), it also jeopardises the show society’s status as a registered charity under the Agricultural Shows category.
The document needs to be spiked.
As for the behaviour of those involved across this entire exercise, some of the very serious issues raised include:
The City of Greater Bendigo taking government grant money for commitments it did not deliver;
The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (Regional Development Victoria) coaching the council in how to fill out the documentation used to evaluate whether council had met the commitments it made to obtain the funding;
The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (Regional Development Victoria) signing off on the grant acquittal despite having evidence in its possession that showed the grant commitments had not been met;
The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (Development Victoria) submitting a clause 52.3 planning application without community consultation requirements having been met;
Sport and Recreation Victoria knowingly allocating more than $19 million in sport and active recreation infrastructure funding for a non-sports infrastructure project and ignoring sport infrastructure needs at the same venue;
The City of Greater Bendigo failing to respond to ratepayer questions about expenditure of ratepayer money;
The City of Greater Bendigo misleading a journalist over its role in the development of the master plan; and,
The Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny approving a planning application in full knowledge that there were integrity issues with the funding and consultation process.
If the Bendigo Showgrounds Redevelopment Project is an example of how the Victorian Government runs its clause 52.3 state projects and any others where “notice and review” rights have been replaced by consultation requirements, every single one needs to be gone through line by line.
It shouldn’t be left to the media to police Victoria's planning system.
The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission is the appropriate organisation for the job.
Downloads
UPDATE: A complaint about misconduct related to the Bendigo Showgrounds master plan grant and redevelopment project has been lodged with IBAC.
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