Page 1631 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2016
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From the previous five years average, contributions have been distributed as follows: sport and recreation averaged 64.5 per cent of total contributions, non-profit averaged 14 per cent of total contributions, problem gambling averaged 10 per cent of total contributions, women’s sport averaged 3.5 per cent of total contributions, and community infrastructure averaged 0.5 per cent of total contributions. This equates to a significant range in contributions with sport and recreation receiving an average of $8,059,985 per year to $259,706 for community infrastructure.
It is important to note that community contributions may consist of a monetary contribution or an in-kind contribution. In 2014-15 community contributions of $3,092,392 were in kind and $8,786,770 were monetary contributions.
What these figures and prescribed reporting categories represent is the tangible assistance provided to actual sporting and community clubs. For example, in the 2014-15 period Australian Capital Taekwondo received $3,950 in the form of an annual grant from the Vikings Club, Belconnen west little athletics benefited from using facilities at the Canberra Southern Cross Club to the value of $590, and the Billiards and Snooker Association of the ACT Inc. received $1,917 in community support from the Canberra Southern Cross Club. There are numerous other examples of the benefits that many sporting and recreation activities receive.
Clubs also support charitable and social welfare organisations such as Lifeline Canberra, St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army. Clubs provide significant support for events in our city, such as Anzac Day, Canberra Day, Australia Day and Skyfire, as well as the Multicultural Festival.
As this government has long acknowledged, Canberra’s community clubs make a unique contribution to the economic and social fabric of our city. Additionally, the government has committed to helping community clubs divest themselves of unwanted gaming machines and to diversify their revenue streams away from the gaming revenue, thereby improving their long-term viability.
In July 2015 the government introduced the most comprehensive and wideranging reforms to the clubs sector since self-government through the introduction of the gaming machine reform package. Striking the right balance has been at the forefront of reform and supporting clubs, while maintaining a strong focus on harm minimisation from problem gambling is also a part of that.
The package established the trading scheme which allows clubs to manage their gaming machine numbers in line with business need. Amendments made to the tax regime for gaming revenue included an increase to the tax-free threshold from $180,000 to $300,000; all clubs, especially the small ones, benefit from this. Clubs can quarantine gaming machines from operational use, and there has been a raft of red tape reduction measures enacted.
The trading scheme continues to provide an effective mechanism for gaming machine licensees to divest themselves of unwanted or underutilised machines and allows clubs to raise funds for redevelopment proposals through the sale of authorisations.
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