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Submission by Graham Porteous, Recreation Services City of Melbourne on 26 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.
The role of sport and physical activity in the health and well-being of the Australians should be a key focus of Government policy, funding and promotion. Whilst elite sport should be supported by the Government, it should not be viewed as a key reason for participation – instead, it should be viewed as a by-product of mass participation. Participation in sport needs to be nurtured from an early age, where skills are learned, confidence gained and a life-long love of participation established. For this reason, sport and physical activity needs to be re-introduced and supported as a key component of curriculum at the primary school level. Opportunities for further integration of schools with community sport and physical activity groups need to be developed. There needs to be recognition of local government as the major provider of grass roots and community sporting facilities, including ovals, courts, greens and recreation centres. Significant funding is required for the establishment, maintenance and upgrade of these sporting facilities. Unfortunately, sporting facilities are one of many services competing for Council budgets and as a result, infrastructure is ageing and unable to meet community expectations and demand.In addition, the nature and type of sport has changed since much of the infrastructure was established, for example, many sports grounds are based on AFL/cricket models in Victoria, making it difficult to cater to year-round sports such as soccer or touch rugby. A Federal Government funding program for Local Government that looks at rejuvenation of local sporting infrastructure needs to be established. Local Government is best placed to determine the sport and physical activity needs of local communities, to plan for and prioritise the resources required for participation. It needs further funding support to ensure a timelier implementation. Sports should be encouraged to further modify junior sport to make it attractive, relevant, encouraging and welcoming for all – this creates an environment where life-long habits surrounding health and well-being can be cultivated by individuals and families. Increased funding is required to develop more facilities for women’s sports. For example, in metropolitan Victoria, females typically have to travel to regional netball facilities, whereas facilities for football and cricket are available at every reasonably-sized local park.
- Examine Government programs to increase participation rates in sport and physical activity, including analysis of existing programs.
No response
- 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.
No response
- 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.
No response
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.
It is important that Government doesn’t just concentrate on the pathway from the community level to the elite. In Melbourne, for example, what can the respective AFL clubs do for sport and physical activity that flows down to the junior/grass roots level?There is a need to ensure that the community/grassroots level maximises participation and associated resources required to provide a quality, safe experience. By maximising outcomes here, sport and physical activity will be enhanced at all levels and through the lifecycle of individuals, ultimately creating greater chance of success at an elite level.
- Recommend the most effective support and recognition for the coaches, officials, umpires, administrators and volunteers who keep our community clubs alive.
No response
- 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.
No response
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
No response
Page last updated: 26 March, 2009