Page 2498 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 9 August 2016
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support these international tourists and help them discover all of the wonderful things our city has to offer. I hope that will be looked at in a little more detail in the future.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Minister for Housing, Community Services and Social Inclusion, Minister for Multicultural and Youth Affairs, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Women) (4.12): I would like to take the opportunity to talk on this output class around sport and recreation in the ACT. The government continues to lead the delivery of sport and recreation policies and programs which contribute to the health and social wellbeing of the community. The evidence in favour of sport and recreation participation is clear and well documented, particularly in regards to improved health benefits, educational outcomes and economic activity. We also know of the capacity for sport to create social networks and build communities.
It is well known that Canberrans have the highest participation rate in sport and recreation activity in the nation. However, opening doors to participation for more members of our community, particularly women and girls, is a strong focus for 2016-17. The ACT government is committed to the continued provision of high quality sport and recreation infrastructure and we are continuing to invest substantially in this asset base.
A range of outcomes for the community will be achieved through the government's significant commitment to new initiatives in sport and recreation in 2016-17. The highlight of this commitment is $33 million for a new pool at Mount Stromlo to ensure that the aquatic needs of this new urban growth area are catered for. Once complete, this facility will add to the five public pools owned and operated by the ACT government, where over 800,000 total visits were recorded in 2015. In anticipation of similar figures this year, a further $785,000 will be invested in our pools through the pools improvement program.
The home of the Canberra Cavalry will soon be one of the premier baseball parks in Australia, with $4.5 million committed to upgrade the current facility. The refurbishment of the existing grandstand, realignment of the playing field and improvements to the amenities and car parks will add the ball park to the suite of international class facilities in the territory.
The ACT government's funding for local sporting organisations to maintain community-owned facilities will also continue through $400,000 for the asset repair and maintenance scheme, which provides critical support for facilities that underpin our high levels of participation. A further investment of over $600,000 in grassroots football through the community football infrastructure program will also deliver major improvements at local football clubs. These investments are in addition to what is provided in the day-to-day management of our public sports grounds.
The ACT government manages more than 280 hectares of irrigated sports grounds, comprising 711 individual hireable fields. In 2016 the government will invest more than $12 million in the maintenance and upgrade of these fields, employing a hardworking team of plumbers, turf specialists, mowers and rangers. More support for
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