❓ Ms. Mitchell inquires about how funding for the WA Institute of Sport's high-performance service centre will help emerging athletes emulate current champions. The Minister details the facility's features and benefits, emphasizing improved training and accessibility for all athletes.
AnsweredQoN 237Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT —
HIGH-PERFORMANCE SERVICE CENTRE
237. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for Sport and
Recreation:
I was delighted to see Steve Hooker reach the qualifying mark
for a position on the Australian team for the 2012 Olympic Games. Can the
minister tell us how the state government's recent announcement of
funding for the new Western Australian Institute of Sport's
high-performance service centre will ensure our emerging athletes have the best
opportunity to emulate our current-day champions, such as Lauren Mitchell and
Kimberley Mickle?
HIGH-PERFORMANCE SERVICE CENTRE
237. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for Sport and
Recreation:
I was delighted to see Steve Hooker reach the qualifying mark
for a position on the Australian team for the 2012 Olympic Games. Can the
minister tell us how the state government's recent announcement of
funding for the new Western Australian Institute of Sport's
high-performance service centre will ensure our emerging athletes have the best
opportunity to emulate our current-day champions, such as Lauren Mitchell and
Kimberley Mickle?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. It was
fantastic to see Steve Hooker reach the qualifying mark on Friday night. He is
a great athlete and also a terrific person and a wonderful ambassador for
Western Australia. There is no doubt that Western Australia has a proud record
of producing world-class athletes. I have often commented over the years that
our elite athletes have punched well above our weight on the world stage.
Although that might be the case, it is also true that a modern facility for our
elite athletes was well overdue. Nearly two years ago the Premier and I saw the
existing facility firsthand and realised that it was not up to standard. It is
for that reason I was delighted to announce funding of $31.73 million for a new
high-performance service centre for the WA Institute of Sport. That is in
addition to the $2 million we announced for planning last year. This capital
investment will deliver a world-class facility. It will feature an improved
strength and conditioning gymnasium; a multipurpose training area; recovery and
rehabilitation area, which was greatly needed; indoor runway and pole vault
facilities; office accommodation; and, importantly, sports science laboratories
and a high-performance research centre. We are doing a lot of terrific work out
there in conjunction with the University of Western Australia and this will
enable further improvements to those programs. Crucially, this investment resolves
the access issues for disabled athletes. We had a terrible situation in which
there was no wheelchair access to the main gymnasium. This new centre looks
after our disabled athletes as well, which is really important. The funding
enables our home-grown athletes to stay in WA and train in an environment that
I believe will be equal to, or better than, any facility anywhere else in the
country. It is a terrific message to deliver during the Olympic year. WAIS will
now have the resources and the facilities to nurture and develop emerging
talents in our state, of which there are many. Construction is due to commence
on AK Reserve at Challenge Stadium in July 2013 and be completed in the last
quarter of 2014, which works well with the Olympic time frame.
We can be extremely proud of what we are doing. Along with
the completed basketball and rugby facilities, and Barbagallo Raceway, the work
that is starting on nib Stadium in July and the state netball centre at the end
of the year, plus the new Perth stadium, I think we are doing a terrific job
for sport in this state.
Sitting suspended from 1.00 to 2.00 pm
fantastic to see Steve Hooker reach the qualifying mark on Friday night. He is
a great athlete and also a terrific person and a wonderful ambassador for
Western Australia. There is no doubt that Western Australia has a proud record
of producing world-class athletes. I have often commented over the years that
our elite athletes have punched well above our weight on the world stage.
Although that might be the case, it is also true that a modern facility for our
elite athletes was well overdue. Nearly two years ago the Premier and I saw the
existing facility firsthand and realised that it was not up to standard. It is
for that reason I was delighted to announce funding of $31.73 million for a new
high-performance service centre for the WA Institute of Sport. That is in
addition to the $2 million we announced for planning last year. This capital
investment will deliver a world-class facility. It will feature an improved
strength and conditioning gymnasium; a multipurpose training area; recovery and
rehabilitation area, which was greatly needed; indoor runway and pole vault
facilities; office accommodation; and, importantly, sports science laboratories
and a high-performance research centre. We are doing a lot of terrific work out
there in conjunction with the University of Western Australia and this will
enable further improvements to those programs. Crucially, this investment resolves
the access issues for disabled athletes. We had a terrible situation in which
there was no wheelchair access to the main gymnasium. This new centre looks
after our disabled athletes as well, which is really important. The funding
enables our home-grown athletes to stay in WA and train in an environment that
I believe will be equal to, or better than, any facility anywhere else in the
country. It is a terrific message to deliver during the Olympic year. WAIS will
now have the resources and the facilities to nurture and develop emerging
talents in our state, of which there are many. Construction is due to commence
on AK Reserve at Challenge Stadium in July 2013 and be completed in the last
quarter of 2014, which works well with the Olympic time frame.
We can be extremely proud of what we are doing. Along with
the completed basketball and rugby facilities, and Barbagallo Raceway, the work
that is starting on nib Stadium in July and the state netball centre at the end
of the year, plus the new Perth stadium, I think we are doing a terrific job
for sport in this state.
Sitting suspended from 1.00 to 2.00 pm
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