Page 1685 - Week 06 - Thursday, 20 May 1993
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Mr Humphries: Because more people are smoking.
MR BERRY: No, no. It has increased marginally. There is growth in the Health Promotion Fund overall.
Mr De Domenico: Will that growth be reflected in the increased allocation to the sports area?
MR BERRY: No, it will not be reflected in an increased percentage to the sports area, and why should it? There are other areas of health promotion. If there is a strong argument to increase or decrease the percentages, then they will be varied. I have made it clear to the advisory council that the percentages are not set in concrete if there is a case made out for an allocation of money which might justify varying those percentages. I am entirely flexible on that matter. The guiding percentages are not set in concrete.
But do not confuse the Health Promotion Fund with the issue of sport. It is a health promotion fund, not a sports promotion fund. If sports argue that they will be able to use the Health Promotion Fund to advance their sport, if that is their prime aim, they are applying to the wrong area. That needs to be clearly understood. It is a useful tool in promoting the relationship between health and sport, but at the same time there are some unhealthy aspects of sport that have to be dealt with as well. The injury rates - - -
Mr Cornwell: What? Kick boxing?
MR BERRY: The injury rates in sports like boxing. That is why this Government - - -
Mr De Domenico: And rugby league, Aussie rules, cricket, skydiving, bungy jumping, bowls - - -
MR BERRY: Here we go again. I love this. Mr De Domenico interjects, "Just like the injuries in rugby league and Aussie rules", comparing them to boxing. Have you not noticed, Mr De Domenico, that in the sport of boxing the main aim is to knock the block off your opponent, to beat him to the ground, to defeat him? In the other sports there are different objectives. The prime aim is not to flatten your opponent.
Mr De Domenico: Oh!
MR BERRY: He understands. Darkness lightens. I am pleased. Madam Speaker, the Government's record on sport in the ACT stands out proudly. We are proud of it, too. We have provided a range of facilities in the ACT which I am sure the sports community are proud of, and will continue to be proud of. Unquestionably, there will be times in the future when it is going to be difficult to give sports everything they want, the same as every other area of government services. We are going to have to cope within our commitment to a social justice strategy right across the Territory. It is an important area of our commitment to the community and one which we are living up to, without doubt. I would be interested to see the ActSport representative's participation in the forum. I am sure that he has a role to play. I am sure that his participation in it will contribute to the quality of the outcomes. We will be looking forward to those outcomes.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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