Page 1270 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019
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of planned physical education and sport programs. That sounds reasonable—in fact, it sounds great.
There is clear distinction between physical activity and physical education. Physical activity is a broad term which describes movement in everyday life that accelerates the heart rate. Physical education is a process of gaining knowledge, skills and attributes mainly through physical activity. Sport is defined under this policy as physical activity formalised by a set of rules, usually competition based.
Taking all of that into consideration, what do these definitions mean for students in ACT schools? Technically, walking around the campus can be classified as physical activity. Technically, many aspects of other lessons, games, dancing and recess activities, can be counted as recreation. Forgive me for using a cliché, but back in my day this is not what physical education was about. I am sure there are those within this chamber and more importantly in the community who would agree.
PE was a dedicated class with a dedicated teacher. We had guest speakers and got to meet local sporting heroes. We learned the rules and skills of team sport and fundamentals like good sportsmanship. We played games, yes, but also sport too. We had sporting carnivals and contests. Ribbons and prizes were awarded, and this was long before there was such a thing as a participation award.
These are some of my fondest childhood memories and I feel like the current system is letting our kids down. Sport is a core part of our culture and there are so many amazing organisations that are willing to increase the prominence and, dare I say, fun of physical education in our schools. That is why this motion is so important.
I acknowledge that schoolteachers have a crowded curriculum to deliver and I can appreciate how challenging it must be to meet the many demands placed on people in the education profession. That is why this motion asks that staffing cohorts be addressed so that the necessary skill sets are available to deliver the current policy.
The motion also asks the government to make use of the federal policies and initiatives with proven models operating across the country. Sport Australia has some amazing resources and programs that are just not being used enough in the ACT. The sporting schools program, for example, is a $200 million Australian government initiative designed to help schools increase participation in sport and to connect children with community sporting organisations. The program partners with over 30 national sporting associations to deliver this program, bringing their expertise to support teachers and kids to experience the best of what these sports have to offer.
I have seen firsthand the benefits of bringing sporting organisations such as Tennis ACT and Netball ACT into local schools through kids developing skills and confidence in sporting activities. Why can this program not be either better utilised in the ACT or replicated with our local associations and sporting groups? We have a lot of homegrown talent, sporting associations and clubs in the ACT that would love the opportunity to work with students, but they need funding to do so. I hope the government takes this motion in the spirit it is intended and stops ignoring and underplaying this issue.
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