❓ Ms. Mitchell asks about the Liberal-National government's support for grassroots sports development following the Commonwealth Games. The Minister outlines the organisational sustainability program, highlighting $7.2 million in funding to state sporting associations and the importance of community-level support.
AnsweredQoN 601Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT
OF SPORT AND RECREATION — ORGANISATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM
601. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for
Sport and Recreation:
Western Australian athletes continue
to perform strongly on the national stage, with some outstanding results at the
Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Could the minister please outline to the house what
the Liberal–National government is doing to support the development of
young sporting talent at the grassroots level?
OF SPORT AND RECREATION — ORGANISATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM
601. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for
Sport and Recreation:
Western Australian athletes continue
to perform strongly on the national stage, with some outstanding results at the
Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Could the minister please outline to the house what
the Liberal–National government is doing to support the development of
young sporting talent at the grassroots level?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for
the question. We talk quite a lot about sport. I thank her for her ongoing help
in that area. As I said the other day, I was really fortunate to be in Glasgow
recently and see firsthand the extraordinary —
Mr F.M. Logan : Who
paid for it?
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I
paid for most of it actually. I was fortunate to witness firsthand the great
success of our elite athletes. The great performances of our elite athletes
stem from the community; they all start out in the community. When some of the
Western Australian athletes visited Parliament last Tuesday, I made that point
to them again that although it is good to focus at that top end, we must also
broaden the base and ensure we look after community athletes because at the end
of the day, that is where they all come from. It is critical that we focus on
that ongoing support through government to nurture and support the peak bodies
in sport that run the sport. We achieve this through the state government's
organisational sustainability program. Last month I was delighted to approve,
through that program, $7.2 million in funding over the next three years to 47
state sporting associations. In all, we fund and assist over 80 state sporting
associations in different ways. This funding is critical to them. It assists
the peak bodies of each sport that manage the sports to continue to improve
their programs, to grow talent within their sport and to also expand their own
businesses and make them more self-sufficient, which is also very important. We
try to help them make the best use of their own resources so that they can be
adaptable, because things change in the sporting arena, improve their
performance, meet the expectations of their members and, obviously, be valued
by the WA community, which I think most of our sporting associations are.
When I go to ministerial conferences, other states envy the
investment that we make here in our grassroots sport. We have a big focus on
it. At some levels we are good in that area, but at others we need to improve.
It is also an acknowledgement that our sporting associations and clubs et cetera
are just about entirely run by volunteers. I think it is pertinent and proper
that the state government assist them. The money will help them stay
sustainable, help them address the community needs and, importantly, encourage
maximum participation. We are all about growing participation.
A range of different sports and sporting bodies benefit from
this funding, including WestCycle, football, athletics, basketball, the Western
Australian Cricket Association, equestrian events, surfing and Skate Australia.
These sports and others play a really important part in our community. As a
government, we will continue to invest heavily in grassroots sport to ensure
that those organisations are kept vibrant and viable and continue to service
our communities and address a lot of issues that we would otherwise be facing
in our communities.
the question. We talk quite a lot about sport. I thank her for her ongoing help
in that area. As I said the other day, I was really fortunate to be in Glasgow
recently and see firsthand the extraordinary —
Mr F.M. Logan : Who
paid for it?
Mr T.K. WALDRON : I
paid for most of it actually. I was fortunate to witness firsthand the great
success of our elite athletes. The great performances of our elite athletes
stem from the community; they all start out in the community. When some of the
Western Australian athletes visited Parliament last Tuesday, I made that point
to them again that although it is good to focus at that top end, we must also
broaden the base and ensure we look after community athletes because at the end
of the day, that is where they all come from. It is critical that we focus on
that ongoing support through government to nurture and support the peak bodies
in sport that run the sport. We achieve this through the state government's
organisational sustainability program. Last month I was delighted to approve,
through that program, $7.2 million in funding over the next three years to 47
state sporting associations. In all, we fund and assist over 80 state sporting
associations in different ways. This funding is critical to them. It assists
the peak bodies of each sport that manage the sports to continue to improve
their programs, to grow talent within their sport and to also expand their own
businesses and make them more self-sufficient, which is also very important. We
try to help them make the best use of their own resources so that they can be
adaptable, because things change in the sporting arena, improve their
performance, meet the expectations of their members and, obviously, be valued
by the WA community, which I think most of our sporting associations are.
When I go to ministerial conferences, other states envy the
investment that we make here in our grassroots sport. We have a big focus on
it. At some levels we are good in that area, but at others we need to improve.
It is also an acknowledgement that our sporting associations and clubs et cetera
are just about entirely run by volunteers. I think it is pertinent and proper
that the state government assist them. The money will help them stay
sustainable, help them address the community needs and, importantly, encourage
maximum participation. We are all about growing participation.
A range of different sports and sporting bodies benefit from
this funding, including WestCycle, football, athletics, basketball, the Western
Australian Cricket Association, equestrian events, surfing and Skate Australia.
These sports and others play a really important part in our community. As a
government, we will continue to invest heavily in grassroots sport to ensure
that those organisations are kept vibrant and viable and continue to service
our communities and address a lot of issues that we would otherwise be facing
in our communities.
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