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Submission by David Hawkins, Pool For Pittwater Committee on 16 March 2009.
2. Better place sport and physical activity as a key component of the Government's preventative health approach
- Examine Government frameworks to ensure an on-going focus on grassroots and community sport and physical activity.
PFP has endeavoured for 8 years to have Pittwater Council work with it in the development of an all weather Olympic standard swimming pool complex with associated pools for hydrotherapy, learn to swim and fit for life programs. Pittwater Council has consistently blocked the endeavours on the basis that (a) there are already sufficient ocean pools available, and (b) swimming pools are not viable. PFP has identified within the Federal Government policies the desire to provide the whole community with sports facilities, to cater for the young, school aged, familes and the elderly. There is no facility within Pittwater which is an area from Narrabeen to Plam Beach. Recently the NSW Government closed the hydrotherapy pool at Mona Vale Hospital, and all learn to swim centres are run by private enterprise, mostly within backyard pool facilities. The PFP is a community not for profit group that has identified how to build, operate and manage a swimming pool complex profitably, and to this extent the Chairman is John Konrads OA who previously operated the community swimming pool comlex in Sydney CBD.
- Examine Government programs to increase participation rates in sport and physical activity, including analysis of existing programs.
The proposal by the Pool for Pittwater Committee is as follows - Scope of Works - The swimming pool complex will contain the following: (a) Learn to Swim for all ages - this is conducted under the auspices of AustSwim with accredited coaches focusing on the 0 years to 2 years, then 2 years plus, adult and seniors classes (b) Stroke Correction for all ages - this is designed to imporve the ability of all swimmers and to make swimming more enjoyable (c) NSW Schools Swimming - although there is one State Selective High School at Narrabeen its request for a pool has been declined, however there are another 26 schools in Pittwater and none have their own swimming pool so training and carnivals are held out of area at Lane Cove (40kms) and rarely at Warringah (15kms) (d) NSW Health Exercise programs - these are not currently offered in Pitwtater due to lack of a swimming pool
- Identify and recommend opportunities to break down barriers to participation at junior, adult and senior ages with a view to making it simpler and easier for Australians to participate in the sport or physical activity of their choice, including for women, the disabled and Indigenous people.
It is a very simple philosophy, ""Build it and they will come"" - members of PFP operate the Avalon Bilgola Swim Club whihc has been opertaing for more than 45 years providing swimming classes for beginners (young and old) and regular weekly swimming events during the Summer months from October to April at Bilgola Ocean Pool - it is impossible to conduct these classes and events outside these dates due to water temperatuve. This year as a direct consequence of the Grant provided by the Hon Jenny Macklin MP we were able to increase our provision of Learn to Swim classes at a nominal cost to the comunity of $30 per person - by providing an all weather facility PFP will be able to provide a broader range of swimming classes for all ages, both sexes, and a wider spectrum of nationalities.
- Recommend strategies to increase the effectiveness of the promotion of sport by the Federal Government to better communicate positive health and activity messages to the broader community.
The provision of the Grants system to local sporting bodies allows those bodies within the community to rollout more effective programs because those bodies are closer to the community than any government body could hope to be. By having a main complex like the PFP complex that will provide a multiple number of sporting outlets (swimming, gym, rehabilitation etc) the community will have a one stop venure for multiple sporting activities
3. Strengthen pathways from junior sport to grassroots community sport right through to elite and professional sport.
- Examine the capacity of the system to ensure optimal and efficient delivery of the athlete and coach pathway for any given sport.
Again, it is impossible to effectively coach non-swimmers and swimmers in cold water and so the current facilities are inadequate in providing all year round swimming. GIven that all of our 4,000 schol students now have to travel outside Pittwater for swim training and carnivals, it is impossible to engender a desire to maintain an interest in sport at school when the distance to participate is great. Likewise, by having a swimming pool complex close to aged care facilities, the ability to access the pool complex is one motivated by proximity. Pathway coaching to elite swimming is non-existent in PIttwater due to an absence of facilities.
- Recommend the most effective support and recognition for the coaches, officials, umpires, administrators and volunteers who keep our community clubs alive.
The current accreditation systems used by most elite sports (athletics, swimming, rugby etc) is working effectively and should be maintained and made available to more prople through schools and community groups.
- Examine how relationships between the Commonwealth Government and National Sporting Organisations, State Sporting Organisations and Australia’s peak representative bodies at key multi-sports competitions may be strengthened to deliver better performance outcomes.
I do not have the competency to make any assessment other than to observe that the Grant systems is good because it allows community groups to access funds for particular purposes without having to go through the layrs of bureaucracy that sometimes block effective communication.
5. Identify opportunities to increase and diversify the funding base for sport through corporate sponsorship, media and any recommended reforms, such as enhancing the effectiveness of the Australian Sports Foundation
Organisations like PFP would benefit from having the ability to apply for funding for specific projects especially during the Federal Government's financial stimulus program. Rather than have a raft of panels and Boards through which applications for funding are processed, the ability to be able to present a funding proposal to a central funding body with the skill sets to examine and determine proposals would be a superior process. Sometimes the National or State bodies are not always minded to deliver community based sporting programs as they have competition for funding with their peak groups of athletes, and by the time the funds trickle down to community groups there is often little remaining.
Page last updated: 16 March, 2009