Page 3568 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 25 August 2009
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The performance agreements that are in place with the Raiders and the Brumbies have been in place for some time and, for all the interjections of those opposite, the agreements were in place when they were in government. They relate, of course, to the nature of the competitions and the costs associated with delivering such competitions but also with the economic impact that is associated with playing matches in those national and international competitions.
The government’s position in relation to support for sport is clear. Through our national league teams program we provide equal funding for the Raiders, the Brumbies and the Capitals. But there are other elements of support for sporting teams.
I would note the government’s commitment, in the last and most recent budget, to provide $3 million to Basketball ACT for a basketball centre of excellence and to provide a world-class training facility for the Canberra Capitals. The ACT government is the single largest sponsor of the Capitals. No-one else comes close to the level of support that is provided by the ACT government to the Capitals.
I wish the Capitals all the very best in their title defence for the 2009-10 season. I note it will be the first season where they will be coached by Carrie Graff concurrently as both the Australian Opals coach and coach of the Capitals. I wish coach Graff and the team all the very best for the 2009-10 season.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Hunter, a supplementary question?
MS HUNTER: Minister Barr, what are you doing to address the inequity in ACT sports funding, in particular, for women’s sport?
MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Over the time that this government has been in power we have significantly increased funding for women’s sport across the board. We have instituted a number of particular programs in the sport and recreation portfolio, most particularly around encouraging participation and encouraging high performance coaching and mentoring.
We have had some particular grant schemes in place over a number of years to work with high performance coaches and also with female athletes who are at the top of their chosen sport through the Academy of Sport program. We also seek to work proactively with a number of ACT sports to support their female teams in national league competitions. In fact, only recently, I was very pleased to be able to announce ACT government support for the ACT women’s cricket team to participate in the national league, the W-League for women’s cricket. That is an exciting new addition to the national league teams that the ACT supports, and it is terrific to see.
Of course, with the success of our team in the W-League in the first women’s soccer league, women’s football league, through the 2008-09 season we have again demonstrated the ACT government’s commitment to providing funding for elite level women’s sport through the national league teams program.
At a grassroots level, more than $2 million is provided to sport and recreational organisations to support the development of a range of programs, and participation by
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