Page 3811 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
an increase of $18,000. Category B organisations can receive up to $38,000, up $12,000. Category C organisations can receive $22,000 per year, an increase of $8,000 per year, and category D organisations can receive $14,000 per year, an increase of $5,000 per year.
Community sporting groups not only provide opportunities for young people to get fit and to stay healthy, but they also enable Canberrans to develop new skills as sports people and sports administrators. The particular program that I am very proud of through the training portfolio is an investment of $225,000 over four years to give 15 young Canberrans each year the opportunity to complete an Australian school-based apprenticeship, or ASBA, in the sport and recreation industry.
ASBAs are an important investment in young people and in sport, both now and into the future. ASBAs are a part-time and flexible option that fits within the students’ study program whilst at school, and can count towards their year 12 certificates. High school and college students combine part-time work at their chosen sporting organisation with structured industry-approved training. ASBAs provide young Canberrans with the chance to gain skills as sporting administrators and officials and skills that will see them, in many cases, supporting junior and senior sport in the years to come.
Junior sport delivers many benefits. It draws visitors to Canberra, helping our economy, and that is why the government invested in hosting the Pacific School Games in 2008 and why we invest through the tourism events assistance program each year in supporting the Kanga Cup. Our elite clubs provide role models to get young Canberrans active in sport, and that is why we provide elite-level support for teams like the Capitals, the Darters, the Raiders and the Brumbies. Part of their performance agreements involve junior development programs.
That is why we work with these elite teams to bring high-quality fixtures to Canberra and why we invest in world-class facilities such as Manuka Oval and Canberra Stadium. That is why we have been pleased to work with the AFL on a range of deals that see the elite players from AFL clubs not only playing matches at Manuka Oval but, most importantly, being involved in community camps and visiting schools and providing young Canberrans with fantastic sporting role models. That is why we teach physical activity in school and why we back our local sporting groups with grants and quality facilities.
I can say confidently that independent research shows that this suite of policies is working. The ACT is the most active state or territory in Australia—a fact confirmed by the annual exercise, recreation and sport survey. The 2009 report on children’s participation in cultural and leisure activities estimates that 1.7 million Australian children, or 63 per cent of those aged five to 14 years, participated in at least one organised sport outside school hours. In the ACT though, the story is even more positive, with 71 per cent of children participating. We are the top-ranked jurisdiction on that measure. To put this in practical terms, that equates to almost 30,000 children in Canberra participating in at least one sport outside school hours.
There are many benefits of junior sport and physical activity, and these are generally well known. That is why this government has always invested and will continue to invest in and support junior sport.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video