Page 4188 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 24 October 2018
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is not surprising from this government. Despite the clear messages they have received from the community to leave the scheme alone, here we are once again.
We have all grown up with sport. It has always been a key part of Australian life. It shapes our sense of identity, it strengthens our reputation as a nation and, of course, at the grassroots and local level it is the glue that binds many communities together. We enjoy the social and health benefits of participating in sport. Research shows that for every dollar spent on sport we save $7 as taxpayers in terms of the spend on health. Being active not only makes community sense; it makes economic sense. But we are watching more sport than ever and fewer Australians are playing sport and engaging in physical activity. This is a trend that we need to reverse.
Over 17 million Australians aged 15 or over, or 87 per cent of Australians, participated in a sport or in physical activity over the past 12 months. Nearly 3.2 million children participated in some form of organised sport or physical activity outside of school hours. In Canberra, as at April 2018, there were some slight differences across ages, employment status and education background in respect of the participation of males and females.
There are some areas where there is a higher participation for women. This includes where participants have a disability, in the age brackets of 35 to 45 and 65 plus, when living in an adult share house, or for single adults or couples with no children. The employment status of women also affects their level of participation. For example, if they work part-time or casually they tend to have higher levels of participation in sport.
Sport is by its nature very inclusive. It is one of the many great things about it. Local clubs want people to get involved no matter what their skill level, gender, socio-economic status, education background, disabilities, or access to transport or equipment. These factors present challenges for everyone. But the volunteers, coaches and parents work to find ways to overcome those barriers.
What the government can do here is make a contribution to make sport more affordable, accessible and attractive. It is the same with youth participation and increasing how active our kids are throughout their school years. This is where the policy levers of government can be focused to support programs that make a difference.
For the government to talk about investigating ways to increase the allocation from the community contributions scheme to female sport can come across as a bit of an insult to those involved in the community contributions scheme. The 2015 KPMG national club census found the social contribution of ACT clubs to be a massive $39 million, including direct community donations, subsidised access to facilities and volunteering.
Our clubs are already supporting women’s sports. If we look at the women’s sport contribution from Canberra clubs, we need look no further than the contribution from clubs such as the RUC in Turner, which supports women’s sporting clubs in the inner north of Canberra, for example, the Owls women’s rugby, University of Canberra
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