Sport's Federal departmental shift has potential upside for active health and physical activity industry

AUSactive Chief Executive Barrie Elvish has today indicated that this week's decision by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to shift the departmental responsibility for sport from the Federal Department of Health and Ageing to an enlarged Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts has a potential upside for the active health and physical activity industry.

Speaking to Australasian Leisure Management, Elvish advised "under Health, bureaucrats have consistently considered sport and physical activity as being interchangeable; but as we know, whereas all sport requires physical activity, little physical activity requires sport."

Elvish noted "the World Health Organization and other associated bodies recommend 'physical activity guidelines' for the general population, making no reference to 'sport guidelines'.

"Recent research from Harvard University has proved the correlation between physical activity and improved workplace productivity and GPs prescribing weight loss drugs are increasingly recommending they be taken with dietary changes combined with strength conditioning physical activity programs go increase their efficacy.

"In each of these instances sport is not referenced."

Elvish, who has previously expressed scepticism about the Australian Sports Commission's commitment to promoting active health and physical activity, went on to say "removing sport from the health portfolio means that more attention must be given to encouraging physical activity as a preventive health measure without the potential for confusion. It also means that the powerful sport lobby groups will need to turn their attention away from the health department hopefully giving a clearer run for genuine, and inclusive, preventive health funding."