Page 2930 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 15 August 2018
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facilities that clubs actually own and operate for the Canberra community, facilities like golf courses, ovals and even a yacht club. So why, you ask, is this government trying to tell clubs how to run their business and how to best support their community? Clubs know what they are doing. They listen to their membership and they support clubs and causes that patrons want to sponsor.
Under current arrangements the community clubs are required to give 8 per cent of gaming revenue in community contributions, and clubs are more than happy to do this. They give back well above the 8 per cent. Last year clubs exceeded this target, reaching 12 per cent. In fact last year community clubs provided $11.9 million in community contributions.
Do you know how much grant funding was provided to sport and recreation in the same period by this government? The answer is $2.4 million. For those of you who are not maths wizards, that equates to almost 400 per cent more support from clubs than from this government. With this financial support, community clubs help more than 1,000 local sport, recreation and community organisations. Do you know how many sporting groups received grants in the same period from this government? It was just 60. Again, this equates to almost 1,600 per cent more.
Why the statistics? Why point out something so obvious? I do so because this is what this government is threatening by targeting the community contributions scheme: thousands of volunteers who give up their free time to coach and train, run canteens, fundraise, write grant applications, approach corporate sponsors, mentor kids or just help out in the community. And let us not forget about the unsung heroes, the mums and dads, the uncles, the aunties and the friends and supporters. They are out there driving to games, washing uniforms and working out the family budget just so the kids can participate. This is the everyday reality of grassroots sport and recreation, and this is a reality that this Labor-Greens government clearly does not understand.
Let me share just some of the stories I have been receiving from grassroots sport and recreation groups, clubs that are genuinely concerned for their membership, their youth, their community and their future.
Let me explain the predicament of one local hockey club. This club has a proud history dating back to the 1950s. They have strong presence across all competitions. Many of their players, past and present, play on state and national teams. They are a great club, and they do lots to encourage juniors. They discount membership fees and try to help with travel expenses. This club relies on funding from local community clubs, and it is already discussing increasing fees if it loses this funding. These changes are only going to hurt local youth and families who already struggle to afford to participate and keep active.
Another great example of a local club is a social dance group that has been operating in the community for the past 30 years. This group relies almost solely on one particular club not just for a venue but for benefits provided to its members, things like lucky door prizes, raffles and Christmas parties. These extra benefits are important to many of the mature members who see this group as their only affordable source of entertainment. Again, this type of arrangement is under threat if community
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