Page 433 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 21 February 1990
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given to encouraging the young, the old, women and the disabled to participate in sporting and recreational activities - for example, encouraging veterans games. This Government is providing assistance to the wheelchair games which is to be held in April. Transport arrangements have been made by the Minister for Finance and Urban Services to facilitate the smooth running of those games. Federal funding is being used in the establishment of a junior sports development unit which will promote links between school and community sport and will encourage participation by children and youth in an expanded "Aussie sports" program.
The Government fully endorses the use of the health promotion fund in promoting healthy lifestyles and as an alternative to tobacco sponsorship of sport, recreation and racing in Canberra. It will also encourage sport to gain improved private sponsorship arrangements. Already $30,000, plus $3,000 for advertising, has been provided to fund a Quit for Life race to replace the Rothmans race. In our policy we recognise the huge benefits that non-government sponsorship provides to sport. We will do all we can to facilitate private sponsorship of sport, with the exception of tobacco company sponsorship. We will discourage that. Legislation regulating such sponsorship will be introduced with exceptions, such as the existing Winfield Cup and the Australian Cricket Board arrangements.
The health promotion fund provides an alternative source of funding to tobacco sponsorship. Already a number of sporting groups, apart from the ACT Racing Club, are applying for money from that fund, with the encouragement of this Government. We recognise, as a government, that the racing industry is vital to the ACT community, providing employment, leisure opportunities and considerable financial resources. It also brings in tourists and tourist dollars.
We will fully support the industry to keep pace with the ever increasing standards of the sport nationally. As Mr Collaery has already said, our policy indicates that. We support drug-free sport and competition. We support the random drug testing of ACT athletes under the Australian Drug Agency testing program, and we will instigate a drugs in sport education program for the ACT.
Mr Speaker, far from the criticism that has been levelled by the Australian Labor Party members at this Government for its lack of impetus in the sport, I think the contrary is true. This Government has already announced a number of initiatives, a number of possibilities, that it is investigating in the two months or so that we have been in power.
We will continue to give a high priority to sport, as is evidenced by this sports policy. We recognise its health benefits to the community and also the vast opportunity that some sporting events have to bring big dollars into
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