The Hon Rod Kemp was Minister for the Arts and Sport from Friday 23 November 2001 to Tuesday 30 January 2007. This site is available for archival purposes only.

Continued funding for Australian Sport

The Australian Government will invest in a package of over $380 million for Australian sport in 2005-06 building on its record level of commitment to communities, athletes and sporting organisations.

This money will assist high performance programmes, increase sports activity among young Australians and deliver on the Government’s anti-doping and Melbourne Commonwealth Games commitments.

High Performance

In outlining the budget measures, Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, announced an additional $52.3 million over four years from 2005-06 for Australia’s high performance sport programmes as part of the Government’s response to the growing challenge for Australia to maintain its position in world sport.

The additional $52.3 million will give Australian athletes the opportunity to reach their full potential in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics and will build on the very successful sports system that has been put in place since the Sydney 2000 Games.

This new package comprises four key areas:

1. The Government will invest $11 million over four years in a European base (EuroHub) providing a purpose built 50-bed accommodation and sports science and sports medicine facility for athletes and coaches.
2. The Government will supplement National Sporting Organisations (NSO) with an additional $14.3 million over the next four years including to identify and retain world class coaching staff.
3. The Government will invest an additional $13 million over four years in international competition, giving athletes and coaches access and exposure to the world’s most competitive athletes.
4. The Government will extend its current commitment of a Direct Athlete Support (DAS) scheme for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games (M2006) by providing an additional $14 million over four years, to directly support Australian athletes preparing for the Beijing Olympic Games. The funding has been provided on the basis of a shared funding arrangement with the AOC.

Senator Kemp said the Government’s Building Australian Communities through Sport commitment builds on highly successful and far reaching initiatives such as the Backing Australia’s Sporting Ability program (BASA) and the Tough on Drugs in Sport policy.

“This year’s Budget will provide a package in excess of $380 million in 2005-06 in direct support for sport and sport-related activities, while continuing to support athletes in the lead-up to the Commonwealth and Olympic Games,” Senator Kemp said.

“The benefits will be enjoyed by elite athletes, national sporting organisations, athletes at grass roots level, coaches, officials, volunteers, sports scientists, the sports industry, other businesses and supporters.

“Sport is an integral part of Australian life. Government provides funding for sport as an investment in the community in terms of national pride, improved health, economic activity and stronger communities,” he said.

The Australian Government is committed to supporting and strengthening national sporting structures so that Australian athletes have the systems they need to continue to compete successfully at the elite level.

The Government has provided over $110 million to the Australian Sports Commission to deliver excellence in sports performance by Australian athletes, including those who will participate in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. This includes the provision of Direct Athlete Support to likely medallists to give them the opportunity to commit full-time to a programme of training and competition.

In addition, during 2005-06 the Government is providing $20.6 million in capital funding to the Australian Sports Commission to continue the redevelopment of the Australian Institute of Sport as a world-leading centre of excellence and to establish a European elite sport base for Australian athletes in northern Italy.

Included in the 2005-06 Budget are some significant initiatives including capital funding for the Australian Sports Commission, support for athletes competing in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and an injection of funding to local sporting and recreation facilities.

A total commitment of almost $190 million is provided in the 2005-06 Budget to the Australian Sports Commission for a range of high performance, participation and sports development programmes.

 

Participation

The Australian Government is committed to delivering an effective national sports system that offers improved participation in sporting activities by Australians.

Through the Australian Sports Commission, the Government is working towards:

• increasing the number of people participating in sport, in particular youth, Indigenous Australians, women and people with disabilities;
• increasing the number of school children participating in structured physical activity and sport;
• boosting the active membership and reach of sporting organisations and local sporting clubs;
• building the awareness of the values of fair play, self improvement and sporting achievement; and
• providing a means for businesses to actively support their local communities.

Specifically, the Australian Government will invest over $27.8 million in 2005-06 for the development and implementation of the Active After-School Communities Programme as part of the $116 million four-year Building a Healthy Active Australia initiative announced by the Prime Minister to help address the issue of childhood obesity.

The Australian Sports Commission provides leadership, funding, support, consultancy services, information, education and training and business tools that promote improved efficiency and effectiveness in the daily operations of national sporting organisations.

The 2005-06 Budget also confirms the Australian Government’s ongoing commitment to water and alpine safety programmes with the provision of more than $5.5 million in this financial year alone.

Consistent with the Government’s commitment to restore the capacity of sport to contribute to building active, healthy Australian communities outlined in its “Building Australian Communities Through Sport” policy this Budget will provide funding of $11.8 million in 2005-06 for community sporting facility upgrades and improvements.

In addition to the Australian Sports Commission programmes supporting Australia’s athletes at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, the Australian Government will also provide a package of assistance totalling $153.2 million in 2005-06 to support the staging of the Games.

The Government is committed to providing support for sport and recreation programmes and activities in Indigenous communities.

In 2005-06 the Government is providing almost $11.6 million for programmes and services across Australia that increase Indigenous participation in sport and physical recreation, improve the skills of participants and open up access to facilities and equipment.

Anti-Doping

Under the expanded Tough on Drugs in Sport commitment, the Australian Sports Drug Agency will receive $9.1 million in 2005-06. This includes:

In addition, approximately $1.7 million has been set aside in 2005-06 for anti-doping research and an estimated $0.3 million will be required for Australia’s financial commitment to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

• Australian anti-doping research has led to the refinement of the test for erythropoietin (EPO), contributed to the knowledge base for developing a test for human growth hormone and enhanced the use of mass spectrometry technology in drug detection.
• Australia’s membership of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has contributed to the Government’s fight against drugs in sport. WADA has publicly recognised Australia as one of the leaders in the world in the fight against drugs in sport.
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• Australian athletes and teams continue to excel on the international stage, providing the encouragement and incentive for all Australians to participate and compete across the country.
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• “The Australian Government is committed in its support of programmes and initiatives that help elite athletes compete against the world’s best and give local communities the chance to participate in our great sporting nation,” Senator Kemp said.

10 May 2005

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