Goodlife's Oliver leads calls for industry to unite to benefit Australia's health and fitness

Goodlife Health Clubs Chief Executive and Fitness Australia Director Greg Oliver is challenging the Australian fitness industry to unite to effect meaningful change for the good of our Australia's health and fitness.

Oliver's call to action began at the 2013 Fitness Business Summit in April when he called on fitness industry operators to 'de-brand' and activate the industry's collective strength to address some key policy and legislative issues that could be the key to future success in delivering exercise to the community.

Most recently, Oliver and a range of industry leaders came together at a Fitness Australia Political Advocacy Forum in Sydney to pave the way on key policy and legislative issues, facing the fitness industry.

The Forum reached a collective agreement to activate the industry to create positive change to the health of communities.

Explaining the initiative, Oliver states "the fitness industry has never previously been active in the political arena, brands have been too busy competing with each other, but with 2.5 million members and 3,000 clubs in Australia we can leverage this strength for the benefit of Australians' health.

"There is a groundswell of support to do this with bipartisan support from the larger fitness brands."

Welcoming this coming together as sign of "the fitness industry now being a grown up and more mature sector", Oliver explains "it is time for the fitness industry to be active in the political arena."

Areas in which Oliver expects the industry's advocacy to be active include the removal of Fringe Benefits Tax on fitness club membership fees and in local government licence fees for personal/group training conducted on council lands.

Oliver seeks to change the current tax arrangements were costs of onsite gyms on employers' premises are not subject to Fringe Benefits Tax while fitness club membership fees being paid as part of employment packages are.

He suggests that such arrangements "aren't consistent with contemporary work patterns" and that a change of the current arrangements will see "many beneficiaries."

A further Fitness Australia Political Advocacy Forum will be held in Melbourne on Friday 20th September.

The purpose of meeting face to face is to:

• To present the industry with the most current and compelling information about Fitness Australia's government relations agenda including tax reform and private health insurance.

• To discuss outcomes of the Sydney Education and Action Forum and the formation of a national Political Action Committee.

• Update members on current major topics affecting the Victorian Fitness Industry Including Tour Operator Licence fees (Fitness Trainers) on Crown Land.

• Offer a chance to all members to speak openly with Greg Oliver, Fitness Australia Board Member Paul Kinghorn and Fitness Australia Chief Executive Lauretta Stace.

For more inforamtion on the Forum, being held at Bells Hotel, 157 Moray Street, South Melbourne go to www.fitness.org.au/article.php?group_id=2973