Page 2952 - Week 08 - Thursday, 25 June 2009
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What we have instead is basically individual sporting groups going cap in hand to the government, each and every year, trying to get to the top of the queue and competing with each other. It is quite clear that sports organisations have got much better things to do with their volunteers’ time, because most of these organisations are run by volunteers. I suggest that they have got much better things to do with their time running their actual sports rather than have to lobby the government each year for help.
If the government was able to put together some sort of strategic plan, the sports could get on with their core business, which is providing great sporting opportunities and not having to worry about lobbying for new facilities all the time. I do not think it is mutually exclusive to have a long-term plan and some flexibility. I think we can still envisage some of these things that we will need over the next decade, but have flexibility, with a review every two years or so. We could decide that such and such a sport has really taken off and we need to put a bit more emphasis on that or that for a sport that is not growing as fast maybe we will defer a development or a new facility or some new infrastructure. I think it is possible to actually do this and provide some certainty for the sports organisations while at the same time retaining the obvious necessary flexibility.
Similarly on sport, I want to briefly discuss indicators. There was a really interesting exchange in estimates, where I asked about a survey on the level of satisfaction with the management of sports grounds and ovals. There had been a slight drop-off in the level of satisfaction and that, of itself, is not especially contentious. But when I asked the department why, they said that their survey did not actually explore the reasons. They explore the level of satisfaction, but then they do not ask people why they are dissatisfied and so they can only speculate.
This is not a major issue, and Mr Barr seemed to acknowledge this. This is probably not the best approach in estimates, and I want to encourage all departments, really, when undertaking these kinds of surveys to think not just about doing the surveys to be able to fill in the box on the budget papers but to really garner information so that we can get the best possible expenditure of money and also the best possible prioritisation of departmental resources. The sports sector is one that could always warrant more resources. They are not always available and we really need to use the ones we have in the best possible way.
I was going to speak briefly about EPIC. Mr Smyth has covered that in some detail. I think there is a real challenge there as EPIC goes through a bit of an uncertain time now. I am not entirely clear what the minister’s plan is. As I said in the debate in here a couple of weeks ago, I think there is real opportunity, with EPIC now being in Mr Barr’s portfolio, for it to get better attention and that it work more closely with TBE. I have put the view that there still is a role for the board. This is a time when we need some real clarity, and again I would welcome from the minister a statement perhaps in this place around his vision for EPIC so that we can move forward.
I think it is a wonderful asset for Canberra, and having community members on the board is a valuable thing. I am unclear about this community advisory council and
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