Page 2625 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 10 August 2016
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The consultations were a really valuable way to gauge community and industry interest as well as shape the event for the future. Throughout the consultations everyone has conveyed enthusiasm and passion for the awards and we saw a very strong desire to see a quality process continue in the ACT.
The ACT government will continue to work with the sporting community to create a celebration of sport which honours people who uphold the qualities that Canberrans love to see in sport: sporting excellence, inclusion, fair play and service to the community. The new awards are a great vehicle to showcase these qualities.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Burch.
MS BURCH: Minister, what new categories have been added and what local achievements are they celebrating?
MS BERRY: The reinvigorated format for the Canberra sport awards will include nine award categories, with the annual ACT Sport Hall of Fame also included. The nine award categories are: athlete of the year—men’s sport; athlete of the year—women’s sport; athlete of the year—para-sport; team of the year; outstanding service to sport; and people’s sporting champion. There are also three minister’s awards: for inclusion; for innovation; and for event excellence.
The awards will celebrate all the outstanding achievements of Canberra’s top athletes and teams, while also recognising those behind-the-scenes special contributors that make our local sporting community so great. The new categories are particularly designed to recognise not only excellence at an individual and team level but also innovative and inclusive achievements in our community clubs, as well as outstanding event management.
As minister, I have made participation and inclusion the heart of the agenda for local sport and it is great to have the awards pushing in this same positive direction. The people’s sporting champion will be decided by popular vote—it has already been dubbed the “Gold Logie” of Canberra sport—while grassroots in particular will be a focus under the new categories of innovation, event delivery and inclusion.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Burch.
MS BURCH: Minister, how has the announcement been received?
MS BERRY: We have been inundated by positive feedback following the announcement of the new awards. On the morning of the announcement, I was joined by athletes from a wide spectrum of sports. To name a few, we had Jack Steele, a former Belconnen local, from the GWS; Alice Coddington from the Caps; Scott Cone from the Cavalry; Erin Osborne, who is from the Meteors and the Southern Stars; Allister Peek, who was proudly showing off medals that he had won when he represented Australia in sailing in the Special Olympics; and Luke Philps and Josh Olsen from the CBR Brave.
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