$325 Million Boost to Sport & Getting More Australians Active

As part of the 2010/11 Budget, the Australian Government has announced its new direction for Australian sport.

Minister for Sport, Kate Ellis this evening released the Australian Government’s new sport vision ‘Australian Sport: The Pathway to Success’ which is backed by $195 million in extra funding, the largest-ever injection into Australian sport.

The new money makes up $324.8 million in ongoing funding to increase the numbers of Australians participating in sport, strengthen sporting pathways to link grassroots and high performance sport, and strive for Australia’s continued sporting success.

Delivering on many of last year’s Crawford Report recommendations while avoiding cutting funding to Olympic sport, the Rudd Government is now set to invest $1.2 billion in sport over the next four years, building on its $300 million boost to community sporting facilities in 2009, the single largest investment in community sporting infrastructure that this country has ever seen.

‘Australian Sport: The Pathway to Success’ delivers on the Rudd Government’s commitment to boost funding to both community and elite sport.

For the first time, it also delivers significant investment to the all-important development pathway - the vital link connecting grassroots and high performance sport.

The Australian Government’s whole-of-sport approach focuses on delivering in three key areas:

1. Increasing the number of Australians participating in sport 
2. Strengthening sporting pathways 
3. Striving for success

Specific initiatives under these three areas include:

• Delivering the first Sport and Education Strategy to bring a new focus on the delivery of quality sport in schools and boost the number of our children participating in sport.
• Requiring National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) to have an increased focus on participation outcomes as part of their funding agreements with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and boosting funding opportunities for NSOs to grow grassroots participation through direct grants to community clubs.
• Delivering a National Sport and Active Recreation Policy Framework that will for the first time enable a co-ordinated, whole-of-sport approach to sport from Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments.
• Additional coaching and officiating training opportunities for up to 45,000 community coaches and officials, and subsidise the costs associated with training for 5,000 new community coaches and officials.
• Investing in the development pathway by doubling the Local Sporting Champion program to support 8,000 junior athletes to participate in competition; and boosting opportunities for up and coming athletes to compete in domestic competition. 
• Doubling Australia’s talent identification program to support 10,000 aspiring Australian athletes and employ more talent scouts.
• Requiring Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Scholarship holders to volunteer at local community sporting clubs or junior sport programs. 
• Boosting funding to identify, attract, develop and retain high performance coaches including support for incentive packages and professional development.
• Expanding funding support to high performance athletes to support their training and participation in international competition. 
• Re-aligning high performances institutions and academies in a landmark partnership with State and Territories that will deliver a more cohesive system for sporting excellence.

The Rudd Government will also deliver a $324.8 million investment into the ASC funding base to create a secure platform to plan beyond Budget cycles.

In particular, this will assist in better preparation for major events such as the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.

This significant suite of reforms represents the largest reform of Australian sport in three decades.

It will boost the number of Australians participating in sport, especially our children, while positioning Australia to continue to shine on the international stage.

In recognition of the significant leadership role played by the ASC, Australia’s peak national sport agency will be tasked with implementing ‘Australian Sport: The Pathway to Success’ and distributing funding. 

For more information go to www.ausport.gov.au/about/pathway_to_success 

3rd May 2010 - QUESTIONS ON GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO RUGBY

7th January 2010 - STUDY ON DISABILITY PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND RECREATION

31st December 2009 - AOC ENDS YEAR WITH CRAWFORD ATTACK

24th November 2009 - AOC SETS SIGHTS ON GEMBA

18th November 2009 - MIXED RECEPTION FOR CRAWFORD REPORT

17th November 2009 - CRAWFORD: PARTICIPATION, NOT MEDALS, SHOULD BE AUSTRALIA’S SPORTING GOAL 

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