❓ Mr. Miles asks about the progress of the Sport 4 All program. The Minister provides an overview, highlighting KidSport, Club Volunteer Project, ClubTalk, and Nature Play WA, with statistics on participation and reach.
AnsweredQoN 394Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SPORT 4 ALL
PROGRAM
394. Mr P.T. MILES to the Minister for Sport and Recreation:
Minister, I am delighted with the feedback I have been
getting from my constituents in Wanneroo who have benefitted from the Liberal–National
government's KidSport program. I understand there is a lot more to the
program than simply subsidising participation fees for the young people. Can
the minister provide the house with an overview of the progress of the government's
Sport 4 All program?
PROGRAM
394. Mr P.T. MILES to the Minister for Sport and Recreation:
Minister, I am delighted with the feedback I have been
getting from my constituents in Wanneroo who have benefitted from the Liberal–National
government's KidSport program. I understand there is a lot more to the
program than simply subsidising participation fees for the young people. Can
the minister provide the house with an overview of the progress of the government's
Sport 4 All program?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Wanneroo for
his question. Just before I answer the question, can I just congratulate you,
Mr Speaker; I understand you had a birthday earlier in the week, and I think it
was one of some significance. I congratulate you on your birthday!
Several members interjected.
Mr
T.K. WALDRON : I know the member for Wanneroo has really been right into the
KidSport program that has been operating intensely in his area, but KidSport is
part of an overall program called Sport 4 All. I have spoken about the Sport 4
All program, so I will not go through all the details—I think most
people know how it works.
It has now been operating for a
year, and I think it is important that I update the house on how it has gone in
its first year. Just to clarify, there are four parts to Sport 4 All: obviously
there is KidSport, which is about subsidising the subscription fees for
children to join sporting and recreation clubs, which has been a great success;
there is the Club Volunteer Project, which is trying to make sure we can
attract and maintain our volunteers; there is ClubTalk, which is support
through information technology to make it easy for our club volunteers to keep
records and remain connected with their business et cetera; and there is also
Nature Play WA, which is reconnecting children with play and nature and has
proved to be an outstanding success.
Over the first year we have been
able to establish a number of reference groups for all our projects. There has
been a distribution of 11 000 KidSport vouchers through 113 local governments;
there has been the creation of 411 new websites through ClubsOnline, covering 2
922 community sporting clubs. That is where we are assisting the volunteers in
the clubs. There has been an allocation of 106 community volunteer grants in 38
different sports and five recreational pursuits, once again assisting around 5 000
volunteers; the distribution of 50 000 Nature Play passports; and the
establishment of 18 family nature clubs. Those 50 000 Nature Play passports
have connected 50 000 youngsters with nature and physical activity. I have seen
what Redcliffe Primary School in the member for Belmont's area has been
doing, and what they are doing out there with nature is an example to all of
us.
Just on KidSport, which is probably
the flagship of the program and gets all the coverage, 113 local governments
are involved and 11 000 vouchers have been distributed; in the first year 9 626
children have accessed KidSport. The applications are available in about 13 different
languages—Afrikaans, Dari, Swahili, Kriole; a whole heap. The other
thing we have done along the way, which is a bonus I think, is formed a
partnership between two not-for-profit organisations to allow our KidSport
clubs to access recycled sporting equipment; we are using recycled sporting
equipment to assist the clubs. They can also utilise referral agents, and over
200 referral agents have been involved in connecting the kids to the clubs,
including schools, community organisations and government agencies. That
interaction is also having a side benefit by connecting them all together.
In conclusion, I have a couple of really interesting
statistics: 20 per cent of the vouchers so far have gone to kids of Aboriginal
descent; eight per cent have gone to kids from culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds; and over six per cent to young children with a disability,
so we are reaching all parts of the community. To me as sports minister, and, I
think, to everyone here, the most significant figure of those nearly 10 000
children is that 48 eight per cent of the young people who have received
vouchers have never before been a member of a sporting club. Therefore, we have
5 000 youngsters out there who have been involved in a sporting club for the
first time. Although members might say it is not the be-all and end-all, we
know what sporting clubs can do, especially with young children who are at
risk. If they are not involved in anything, they feel on the outer and they get
themselves into strife. When they are in a club—it does not have to be
a sporting club; it can be other clubs as well—they belong to
something. Those kids are part of society. They get involved and they learn
leadership, discipline and responsibility, and they gain self-esteem. I think
we will see some great benefits from this program. I thank all members of the
house who have been supportive of this, and I thank our local governments and
our sports clubs. I have no doubt that this project is already delivering great
benefits, as I have outlined. In the future, it will have significant benefits to
families, to individuals and to communities for a lot of the issues we see.
his question. Just before I answer the question, can I just congratulate you,
Mr Speaker; I understand you had a birthday earlier in the week, and I think it
was one of some significance. I congratulate you on your birthday!
Several members interjected.
Mr
T.K. WALDRON : I know the member for Wanneroo has really been right into the
KidSport program that has been operating intensely in his area, but KidSport is
part of an overall program called Sport 4 All. I have spoken about the Sport 4
All program, so I will not go through all the details—I think most
people know how it works.
It has now been operating for a
year, and I think it is important that I update the house on how it has gone in
its first year. Just to clarify, there are four parts to Sport 4 All: obviously
there is KidSport, which is about subsidising the subscription fees for
children to join sporting and recreation clubs, which has been a great success;
there is the Club Volunteer Project, which is trying to make sure we can
attract and maintain our volunteers; there is ClubTalk, which is support
through information technology to make it easy for our club volunteers to keep
records and remain connected with their business et cetera; and there is also
Nature Play WA, which is reconnecting children with play and nature and has
proved to be an outstanding success.
Over the first year we have been
able to establish a number of reference groups for all our projects. There has
been a distribution of 11 000 KidSport vouchers through 113 local governments;
there has been the creation of 411 new websites through ClubsOnline, covering 2
922 community sporting clubs. That is where we are assisting the volunteers in
the clubs. There has been an allocation of 106 community volunteer grants in 38
different sports and five recreational pursuits, once again assisting around 5 000
volunteers; the distribution of 50 000 Nature Play passports; and the
establishment of 18 family nature clubs. Those 50 000 Nature Play passports
have connected 50 000 youngsters with nature and physical activity. I have seen
what Redcliffe Primary School in the member for Belmont's area has been
doing, and what they are doing out there with nature is an example to all of
us.
Just on KidSport, which is probably
the flagship of the program and gets all the coverage, 113 local governments
are involved and 11 000 vouchers have been distributed; in the first year 9 626
children have accessed KidSport. The applications are available in about 13 different
languages—Afrikaans, Dari, Swahili, Kriole; a whole heap. The other
thing we have done along the way, which is a bonus I think, is formed a
partnership between two not-for-profit organisations to allow our KidSport
clubs to access recycled sporting equipment; we are using recycled sporting
equipment to assist the clubs. They can also utilise referral agents, and over
200 referral agents have been involved in connecting the kids to the clubs,
including schools, community organisations and government agencies. That
interaction is also having a side benefit by connecting them all together.
In conclusion, I have a couple of really interesting
statistics: 20 per cent of the vouchers so far have gone to kids of Aboriginal
descent; eight per cent have gone to kids from culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds; and over six per cent to young children with a disability,
so we are reaching all parts of the community. To me as sports minister, and, I
think, to everyone here, the most significant figure of those nearly 10 000
children is that 48 eight per cent of the young people who have received
vouchers have never before been a member of a sporting club. Therefore, we have
5 000 youngsters out there who have been involved in a sporting club for the
first time. Although members might say it is not the be-all and end-all, we
know what sporting clubs can do, especially with young children who are at
risk. If they are not involved in anything, they feel on the outer and they get
themselves into strife. When they are in a club—it does not have to be
a sporting club; it can be other clubs as well—they belong to
something. Those kids are part of society. They get involved and they learn
leadership, discipline and responsibility, and they gain self-esteem. I think
we will see some great benefits from this program. I thank all members of the
house who have been supportive of this, and I thank our local governments and
our sports clubs. I have no doubt that this project is already delivering great
benefits, as I have outlined. In the future, it will have significant benefits to
families, to individuals and to communities for a lot of the issues we see.
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