ACT Government launches a new vision for recreation and play

The ACT Government has released a new vision for recreation in the ACT that aims to encourage more locals, along with visitors to the city, to take advantage of the Canberra’s recreation and play spaces.

Launching the Connecting & Building Recreation: a vision for the Territory strategy, ACT Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Shane Rattenbury stated “(this plan) outlines the ACT Government’s commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Canberrans by supporting more people to see recreation as a fun and easy way to engage in active living.

“Society is changing; people are busier and have more commitments. While we have the highest participation rates in sport and physical activity in the country, many people in our community remain sedentary, instances of overweight and obesity continue to rise and our kids still spend way too much time glued to electronic devices.

“People’s ideas of recreation are changing too. This vision looks beyond organised sport, to other, non-structured ways of getting Canberrans active and outdoors- like walking, mountain biking, horse riding and parkour, for example.

“We need to ensure we have good facilities that suit a range of different activities and are accessible to everyone. And we also need to look at new and different ways to encourage people to participate in recreation activities, but in a way that suits them.

“We need to make physical activity easy, flexible and accessible.

“Canberra’s great network of trails, parks and open spaces mean that we are an ideal city for informal recreation and active play. The guiding principles underpinning the vision outlines the government’s commitment to promoting these recreational opportunities, supporting Canberrans to engage in creative offerings and, by increasing exposure and understanding, encourage Canberrans to embrace and nurture their natural environment.

“As both Minister for TAMS and SRS, I am keen to explore how we can work across government to improve access to and promotion of recreational opportunities across the city. There are a number of specific items across government that will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months.

“Today I am also releasing a discussion paper on mountain biking that will form the basis for a targeted strategy to help guide the growth of this popular recreational pursuit.

“TAMS is launching a new parks and reserves section of the TAMS website that will help Canberrans to access information online about the ACT’s parks and reserves. The new webpages will provide more information about what facilities and activities are available at each park, and even suggest itineraries for exploring the region.

“SRS will also soon launch Nature Play in the ACT, which is an initiative developed to assist families, schools and community organisations to increase the time children spend in unstructured play outdoors and in nature. Under Nature Play we will develop a suite of programs that will meet the needs of the ACT community, while connecting the community to available opportunities.

“We also have a range of existing initiatives such as the Find Fitness Outdoors campaign which encourages Canberrans to take advantage of the many free outdoor fitness locations across Canberra.

“The ACT Government is committed to supporting a healthy, active and productive community. Connecting & Building Recreation does not aim to provide all the answers, but rather it seeks to shine a light on recreation and play, why it is so important and to state our key priorities to develop and harness the potential of recreation and active play.

“We certainly won’t achieve this in isolation and I am committed to working across government and with community and commercial partners to get more Canberrans outdoors and active.”

To read Connecting & Building Recreation: a vision for the Territory to www.sport.act.gov.au or www.tams.act.gov.au.

Image show the National Arboretum Canberra.

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