Page 4929 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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I am a little bit worried about some of the things that came out of the Estimates Committee, though, in relation to the Health Promotion Fund. It does seem to be at a crossroads. I understand that at present there is still a two-month lead time while the public servants look at the applications, before they even get to the committee. I think it is important for groups that get money under that fund, especially sporting groups, to know fairly quickly, certainly as soon as possible, whether or not their applications are successful.
I think that fund, which has been in operation for 15 to 16 months or so, has generally worked quite well. There are a few bugs to be ironed out. I think the advisory committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Richard Kingsland, is a very dedicated body which certainly applies itself to its task. But I think a number of improvements can still be made there, and that would certainly flow through into the sporting area.
I query whether the estimate given by the Government at the Estimates Committee hearing - that it would cost about $450,000 to move the Office of Sport, Recreation and Racing into Hackett - is, in fact, accurate. I think there remains a need for the department to be more centrally located. I am not overly fazed as to how a government approaches that matter; but I think that, in terms of service delivery and sheer efficiency, it has to be addressed.
I am also concerned about the ongoing saga in relation to the Bruce Stadium. These problems certainly have yet to be solved. In fact, they seem to be becoming more and more complex, which is a real problem, because we certainly do not want that to be a white elephant. It is, in fact, the premier sporting ground in Canberra. We appear to be stuck with its administration; but it has a lot of potential, and that should certainly be utilised by any government. Mr Collaery raised a large number of points at the Estimates Committee hearing, which I will not go into. They are there for all to read in relation to the operation of the Bruce Stadium. Some of them, in fact, are very valid indeed.
I am pleased to see that this Government, as indeed did the Alliance Government, after it got up and running, has started to appreciate how important sport and recreation is to Canberra. It is important not only in terms of the health and other socially beneficial aspects of it, but also in terms of being one of the main reasons that people come to Canberra - one of the main tourism drawcards. I am interested to see that, for some hotels, about 30 per cent of their occupancy rate is attributable to sporting teams and people coming here for sporting reasons. It is important to ensure that the grassroots sports are catered for. That has been done to an extent, and these sports must continue to be developed through Dr Roberts' committee, which gives out a lot of grants to the relevant bodies.
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