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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.

Kemp_budget_05

Government action on after-school programme

 Australia’s primary school children can look forward to the Active After-School Communities programme, according to the Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp.

The Active After-School Communities (AASC) program is the major component of the Australian Government’s Building a Healthy, Active Australia package.

“The Building a Healthy, Active Australia initiative will help to address the overweight and obesity issues facing Australian children by encouraging them to do more physical activity and learn healthy eating habits,” the Minister said.

$116 million has been committed to the Building a Healthy, Active Australia package over a four year period from 2004–05, with $90 million of this funding dedicated to the AASC programme .

“The AASC is a practical way to improve the health, well being and motor skill competencies of Australian primary school children,” Senator Kemp said.

“It helps to address childhood obesity, unsupervised activity in the latch-key hours and declining motor skills development in children.”

  • The Australian Government has allocated $27.8 million in 2005–06 as part of the $116 million initiative to address the challenge of obesity within the community.
  • The AASC is a free after school hours structured physical activity and health programme. It is offered between 3.00–5.30 pm and provides a range of structured physical activities designed to improve motor skill development, which includes, but is not limited to sport.

The programme aims to involve a total of 3,250 primary schools or approved Out of School Hour Care Services throughout the country. One thousand schools and Out of School Hour Care Services began the programme rollout in the second school term of 2005 and this number will build to around 1,500 by the end of the year.

10 May 2005

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