Page 2792 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 29 June 2010
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a central amenities building with squash courts, change rooms, toilets, meeting and office space, a cafe and a child minding centre.
The government recognises that increases in salaries and in insurance, facilities and hiring costs, are placing pressure on the ACT’s community sporting organisations. In January of this year, I undertook to review funding levels for the next triennial funding agreements. These agreements come up for three years at the next grants round. I was pleased to recently announce, following that review, improved funding arrangements for local sporting organisations, so in the next triennial funding round, under the sport and recreation grants program, local peak sporting groups will be able to apply for ACT government funding of up to $60,000 a year from 2011 to help them run and grow their sport. This represents a possible increase of up to $18,000 a year for some organisations. So, from 2011, the large category A organisations, such as Basketball ACT and Hockey ACT, will be able to apply for up to $60,000 per year. Category B organisations will receive up to $38,000, up $12,000. Category C organisations can apply for up to $22,000, an increase of $8,000, and category D organisations can apply for up to $14,000, an increase of $5,000.
Our investments in sport and recreation are important, and they are well targeted. The government recognises that sporting groups provide opportunities to get fit, to stay healthy and to develop new skills as sportspeople, members of the community and administrators. The government recognises they provide opportunities for Canberrans of all ages to get involved in our community and to socialise. By encouraging Canberrans to be active and healthy, sport and recreation organisations are already helping to ensure our health system will cope into the future with our ageing population.
The continued high level support the government is providing is designed to help local sporting organisations hire more staff, provide a broader range of programs for Canberrans, and to further invest in their facilities. Ours is the most active and healthy community in the country. This fact was recently reinforced with national and local data. The government, through its sound financial management and targeted investment, aims to keep our city leading the nation.
I commend the sport and recreation investments in this budget to the Assembly. Last year the Canberra Liberals voted against funding measures for sport and recreation, as part of the doctrine of opposition for opposition’s sake. This year, it appears, will be no different. That said, I welcome the support of other members of this place, who will vote in favour of these investments and, by doing so, will show their support for all those involved in sport and recreation.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (8.27): I am surprised the minister has got the nerve to use his old line of opposition for opposition’s sake, given that he scurried in here very quickly on Thursday morning last week—and he scurries out of the chamber now, as he does so often—having lambasted the opposition for opposition for opposition’s sake on the Wednesday over concerns about the Shepherd Centre and Noah’s Ark and then coming in here and very quickly saying, “We have reversed the decision,” and then bolting as he does so often. “Opposition for opposition’s sake” is a line he uses often but that is what you would expect from one bereft of any originality in his thought or his actions.
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