View submission details
Submission by Newcastle University Sport on 27 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.
Universities and in particular, campuses located in non-metropolitan and rural areas have generally provided facilities either not available in the community or not available in significant capacity in the community. Accordingly, the availability of these facilities to the community and general public is integral to the conduct of community sport and recreation pursuits. For example, Newcastle University Sport (NUSport) has a very significant role in the sporting life of the Hunter region through the provision of high standard facilities that would not otherwise be available. Benefits provided by NUSport to the community include: Over one and a half million visits to NUSport facilities by local residents, visitors and guests. Use of NUSport facilities by elite athletes and elite sporting teams. National and international teams attracted to the region to use NUSport facilities included the Dutch Olympic Swim Team; Argentinean Olympic Swim Team; NSW Swimming Team; Sydney Swans AFL squad; City Rugby League squad; Anzac Rugby League Test Team; Waikato Chiefs and Canterbury Crusaders Rugby Union Teams; Support for regional sport through participation by University Clubs and university teams in local sporting competitions. NUSport supports the Hunter Academy of Sport and the NSW Institute of Sport. Provision of facilities for schools for school sport and school carnivals – 100 schools used NUSport facilities and services in 2008. Approximately 60 community organisations including sporting groups used NUSport facilities in 2008. NUSport currently employs over 160 Hunter residents. It is relevant to note that one reason why NUSport’s contribution to the development of sport in this region is so important is precisely because governments have not been forthcoming. Before The Forum Sports & Aquatic Centre was built on the Callaghan campus, there was no 50m heated indoor pool in the Newcastle area even though it is the sixth largest city in Australia. Indeed, development of community infrastructure for sport by all levels of government in Newcastle has been poor compared to other areas of the country, and Newcastle has relied heavily on the initiative and hard work of its own community to move ahead. Recommendation: That government funding includes funding avenues to enable Universities (especially those in non-metropolitan areas) to complete and maintain sporting & recreation facilities as part of the services available to the general community.
- Examine Government programs to increase participation rates in sport and physical activity, including analysis of existing programs.
Lawmakers and leaders call it a crisis but there is not yet an effective national solution to the physical inactivity or obesity epidemics. While they understand the role that regular exercise plays in a healthy lifestyle, less apparent is the indispensable role that sport, leisure, health and wellness centres play in healthy lifestyle. A number of other countries have undertaken initiatives aimed at encouraging businesses and their employees to take up gym memberships. United Kingdom The Fitness Industry Association (FIA) works closely with the Government, specifically with the Departments of Health and Culture Media and Sport and Trade and Industry and has launched four national Initiatives: Commit to Get Fit, Get Active UK, Adopt a School and Active at Work. United States The proposed Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act would allow for the balanced tax treatments of the cost of fitness center memberships as an employee benefit. Under current law, employers and employees may be discouraged from offering or using a health benefit of membership to a health club. While employees are not taxed for the benefit of using an in-house workout facility, they are forced to report the benefit of a membership to an off-site fitness facility as additional income. This forces employers to deal with more IRS paperwork and increases employees' taxes for using their benefits. Current tax laws do not encourage employers to invest in the health and wellness of their employees. While tax incentives alone will not get every Australian off the couch and moving, but recent polling by international overseas industry peak bodies reveals that 78% of people claim that they would exercise more regularly if their employer subsidized a fitness center membership. Recommendation: Changing tax laws to give employers an incentive to invest in the health and wellness of their employees through a range of tax free or subsidised measures, The Commonwealth Government has the opportunity to create the most conducive environment possible for promoting additional workplace fitness programs at companies, both large and small. Given its relatively low cost to high return on investment, the tax incentives represents a win-win wellness benefit that will put more money back into Australians' pockets while at the same time promoting healthier lifestyles and reducing the national healthcare expenditure.
- 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.
University club-based sporting and recreational opportunities provide a basis for greater female participation than the community norm. With 53% of the broader University population being women, the opportunities for sport and physical recreation provided on university campuses are an important vehicle for increasing women’s participation. For example, 43% of all Australian University Games’ participants (based on 2003 statistics) are women and it is clear that University clubs contribute to the health of the nation through the comprehensive range of sporting/recreational opportunities they offer. University clubs also integrate heavily into community sporting fixtures – from First Grade to a wide variety of social grades. The University of Newcastle enters over 60 teams in 14 different sports in Newcastle district competitions each year and provides the only opportunities in the Newcastle region for participation in a range of sports such as Fencing, Kendo, and Ultimate Frisbee. In short, University sport not only provides important opportunities for developing participation in community-based sport – especially for women – it also provides and maintains quality facilities for a great many non-university/community-based teams. Recommendation: Continuation & expansion of funding programs such as that currently in place through the Australian Sports Commission and Australian University Sport aimed at increasing participation at individual University level, Regional and Games and Australian University Games.
- 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.
Physical activity is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Amenities and services which promote and facilitate physical activity are therefore very important to the community as they assist in keeping people in good health and that includes mental as well as physical health. Poor health is a major problem for developed countries and obesity for example, which is a diet and exercise related condition, is now in epidemic proportions in many countries including Australia. Measures which help to keep people fit, active and in good health are a high priority not only to improve the mental and physical welfare of people but also to reduce the escalating cost of providing health services for preventable illness. Sport and physical activity provides the best opportunities for the whole-of-university community to participate in and enjoy shared experiences including students, academics, general staff and their families. Sport and physical activity also: – provides opportunities for people to participate in activities that are healthy and fun; – like no other part of University life, breaks down the barriers between Faculties, Schools and Disciplines; between academic and general staff; between staff and students; and between a university and its local community; – empowers students to organise sporting events that bring members of the local community onto campus and that require students to visit the fields, courts and club houses of others; – provides benefits that are realised in the pursuit of shared enjoyment, with better health, lessons in practical cooperation and life-long friendships as some of the positive outcomes. On the basis that Universities often form the central part of a community, a strategy aimed at the support of sport and physical activity on campuses will have positive effects throughout all areas of the community. Recommendation: That government funding includes funding avenues to enable Universities (especially those in non-metropolitan areas) to complete and maintain sporting & recreation facilities as part of the services available to the general community.
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.
No response
- 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: 27 March, 2009