❓ A Member of Parliament questions the Minister for Sport and Recreation about new noise reduction guidelines for outdoor community facilities and whether the Minister was aware of them before publication. The Minister responds, defending the importance of public spaces for children's sport and recreation.
AnsweredQoN 50Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC SPACES — NOISE
50. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Sport and
Recreation:
I refer to the recently released
noise reduction guidelines for outdoor community facilities from the Department
of Water and Environmental Regulation and the Western Australian Local
Government Association.
(1) Was the
minister or his office made aware of the new guidelines prior to them being
published?
(2) If not, will
the minister be dictated to by bureaucrats or will he stand up for our kids and
the opportunity to get outside and enjoy some basketball and some exercise?
50. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Sport and
Recreation:
I refer to the recently released
noise reduction guidelines for outdoor community facilities from the Department
of Water and Environmental Regulation and the Western Australian Local
Government Association.
(1) Was the
minister or his office made aware of the new guidelines prior to them being
published?
(2) If not, will
the minister be dictated to by bureaucrats or will he stand up for our kids and
the opportunity to get outside and enjoy some basketball and some exercise?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
am very, very pleased to respond. It is interesting that there is this sort of
cyclone of outrage about an issue that I think all of us understand is focused
on making sure that children and young people are out in parks and open spaces
playing sport, kicking footies, playing netball and throwing basketballs
through hoops. As the member would be aware, there have been a couple of
examples—I think one in Belmont and one in the northern suburbs—of
some noise issues that have caused some concern for some residents. My
understanding is that the local governments sought some advice from the
department responsible for noise issues, and some guidelines have been drafted.
I do not think those guidelines are sanctioned. They are a draft.
Let
us be sensible here. The reality is that we have public open spaces throughout Western
Australia. Those public open spaces should be and need to be places for
children and young people to play sport, both passively and actively. That
includes having three-on-one basketball boards in place. It includes having
spaces where kids can kick footies and throw frisbees and be out and about and
active. We all know that. As Minister for Sport and Recreation, I can assure
members that I will absolutely keep promoting that strongly. I know SportWest
has raised the matter. Let us be very frank: common sense will and needs to be
adhered to here.
I
think anybody who lives around a park or a public space needs to understand
that those public spaces are there for
people to enjoy, and we want to encourage more active use of those spaces. We
want to see kids and young people out and about—off their
screens and out in those spaces. It is one of the reasons that we have programs
such as the night light program to put in place lighting so that these young
kids can be out there, a lot of times under the supervision of great coaches and
volunteers, and doing really positive stuff.
The member might want to try to beat
this up as a bit of an outrage, but the fact of the matter is that I will
always be on the side of kids and young people having access to active spaces,
including for basketball. I have to tell
members about basketball. It is one of the fastest growing codes in terms of
demand, and I want to see more kids on both informal and formal courts
and making sure they are enjoying the great game of basketball because it is
great for their mental health, ''teammanship'', learning and
physical health, and I will keep on encouraging it.
am very, very pleased to respond. It is interesting that there is this sort of
cyclone of outrage about an issue that I think all of us understand is focused
on making sure that children and young people are out in parks and open spaces
playing sport, kicking footies, playing netball and throwing basketballs
through hoops. As the member would be aware, there have been a couple of
examples—I think one in Belmont and one in the northern suburbs—of
some noise issues that have caused some concern for some residents. My
understanding is that the local governments sought some advice from the
department responsible for noise issues, and some guidelines have been drafted.
I do not think those guidelines are sanctioned. They are a draft.
Let
us be sensible here. The reality is that we have public open spaces throughout Western
Australia. Those public open spaces should be and need to be places for
children and young people to play sport, both passively and actively. That
includes having three-on-one basketball boards in place. It includes having
spaces where kids can kick footies and throw frisbees and be out and about and
active. We all know that. As Minister for Sport and Recreation, I can assure
members that I will absolutely keep promoting that strongly. I know SportWest
has raised the matter. Let us be very frank: common sense will and needs to be
adhered to here.
I
think anybody who lives around a park or a public space needs to understand
that those public spaces are there for
people to enjoy, and we want to encourage more active use of those spaces. We
want to see kids and young people out and about—off their
screens and out in those spaces. It is one of the reasons that we have programs
such as the night light program to put in place lighting so that these young
kids can be out there, a lot of times under the supervision of great coaches and
volunteers, and doing really positive stuff.
The member might want to try to beat
this up as a bit of an outrage, but the fact of the matter is that I will
always be on the side of kids and young people having access to active spaces,
including for basketball. I have to tell
members about basketball. It is one of the fastest growing codes in terms of
demand, and I want to see more kids on both informal and formal courts
and making sure they are enjoying the great game of basketball because it is
great for their mental health, ''teammanship'', learning and
physical health, and I will keep on encouraging it.
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