Sport and recreation activities play a fundamental role in building healthy communities. For example, activities undertaken through grassroots sporting clubs promote participation in active sport and recreation, and teach important values such as volunteerism, leadership, teamwork, meeting challenges and pursuing excellence.
During 2007–08, the Department supported the development of a range of community and major sporting and recreation facilities across Australia, through the implementation of 17 new funding agreements. This major achievement supported the establishment and redevelopment of community sport and recreation facilities, club and oval upgrades, and the purchase of sporting equipment. Through this activity, the Department aims to improve opportunities for participation in sport and recreational activities at a grassroots level; and in the case of larger sport stadiums, a wider promotion of sports and encouragement of greater community participation.
The Department also managed the organisation of the Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting, held in Beijing in the margins of the 2008 Olympic Games in August 2008. Chaired by the Australian Minister for Sport, the meeting was an important forum to pursue community development across the Commonwealth through sport, and to further develop anti-doping initiatives, particularly in those countries without anti-doping programs.
Another achievement was the development of the Australian Government’s new policy framework Australian Sport: emerging challenges, new directions. Accessible at www.health.gov.au, the framework identifies the need to better support elite sport, and prevent chronic disease in the community through increased participation in physical activity. Priority areas include improving the status of women in sport, improving the delivery of Indigenous sport, and examining how to improve access for disabled athletes at the grassroots and elite levels.
The Department will manage the implementation of the major initiatives in the policy, including an independent review of Australian sport, which will look at what is required to ensure Australia’s continued sporting success at an elite level and mechanisms to support grassroots community support and increase participation rates.
In addition, the Department will work to help increase the delivery of sport in traditional settings such as schools, and encourage active play. To achieve this, the Department will work with state and territory departments of sport and recreation; developing strategies to overcome issues that present as barriers to participation.
In 2007–08, the Department worked with the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority in overseeing Australia’s anti-doping arrangements, and to ensure Australia’s compliance with international obligations under the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport.
Working in consultation with state and territory agencies, the Department prepared the National Anti-Doping Framework that was agreed by the Sport and Recreation Ministerial Council in October 2007. This framework aligns anti-doping efforts in Australia through a set of agreed principles and clearly identifies areas for cooperation between the Australian and State and Territory Governments. It is expected that this framework will help Australia to lead the international fight against drugs and doping in sport, to achieve a level international playing field, where all athletes are subject to the same doping rules and sanctions.
Australia continued to be an active contributor to the activities of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the international organisation established to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against doping in sport in all its forms. In 2007–08, Mr John Fahey was appointed as the head of the agency, a highly influential position in world sport and the global anti-doping movement. The Department contributed to this major achievement by providing logistical support to the election of Mr Fahey.
The Department also contributed to the development of the Australian Government’s submission to the final stage review of the World Anti-Doping Code and facilitated the Australian Government’s participation in the World Anti-Doping Conference in Madrid in November 2007. The endorsement of the revised World Anti-Doping Code at this meeting was the culmination of a two year effort to refine the code so that it underpins the international fight against doping into the future.
Furthermore, the Department worked with the World Anti-Doping Agency to co-host the third Investigations Symposium, which was held in Sydney on 1–2 May 2008. The symposium brought together high-level representatives from UNESCO, governments, law enforcement agencies, the International Olympic Committee, international sporting federations and national anti-doping organisations to work towards the development of protocols that reflect best practice in information sharing and investigative practices in anti-doping.
Another highlight was the provision of funding to four National Recreation Safety Organisations: Surf Life Saving Australia, the Royal Life Saving Society Australia, Austswim and the Australian Ski Patrol Association, to develop and implement strategies to reduce the number of aquatic and skiing accidents and deaths in Australia. Government support for nationally‑based water safety programs has contributed to a continuing reduction in drowning. The national drowning rate has steadily decreased from 2.0 deaths per 100,000 population in 1992 to 1.3 deaths per 100,000 population in 2006–07. In a country with a strong beach and water sports culture, continued education efforts are required to promote safety and minimise injury, hospitalisation and death. Government support contributes to the coordinated national efforts of the peak water safety organisations in developing and delivering effective water safety programs.
Sport and physical recreation are instrumental in contributing to improved health outcomes for Indigenous Australians and reducing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians’ life expectancy. Such activities also engage communities socially, build an individual’s self-esteem and foster social skills. Furthermore, sport and physical recreation have the potential to address broader social issues such as low attendance rates at school and interaction with the justice system, thereby having multiple effects on a community.
The Indigenous Sport and Recreation Program forms part of the whole-of-government approach to programs and services for Indigenous Australians. In 2007–08, the Department supported 134 community and regional based projects under the program, aimed at increasing Indigenous Australians’ participation in, and encouraging community ownership and management of sport and physical recreation activities. This major achievement helped with the purchase of sporting equipment, salaries for sport and recreation officers, and administration and operational expenses for organisations where their activities supported sport and physical recreation.
The Department provided funds to the Australian Sports Commission to assist in the delivery of the Indigenous Sport Program. This program assisted the states and territories (with the exception of Queensland) to employ 28 Indigenous Sport Development Officers to work with Indigenous communities and relevant government agencies in promoting sport and physical recreation activities at the local, community and regional level. Funding was also used to financially assist Indigenous sports people attending Australian Sports Commission recognised national and international competitions under the Elite Indigenous Travel and Accommodation Assistance Program.
In addition, the Department saw 35 Community Development Employment Projects sport identified positions transitioned into real jobs as part of the Northern Territory Emergency Response, with a further 51 positions earmarked for transition in 2008–09.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority is the focal point for the implementation of Australia’s anti-doping arrangements. To deter athletes from using prohibited substances and methods, the authority provides a comprehensive anti-doping program for the Australian sports community that encompasses deterrence (awareness and education), detection (testing and investigations) and enforcement (the presentation of cases at hearings).
In 2007–08, the Department worked with the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority to protect Australia’s sporting integrity through eliminating doping. This work included consultation on both the World Anti-Doping Agency 2008 Prohibited List and the third stage of the World Anti-Doping Code review.
During the year, the Department also managed the restructure of the Australian Sports Commission Board. Personnel in the board were appointed on the basis of their expertise and ability to deliver on the new policy directions set by the Government under the framework Australian Sport: emerging challenges, future directions.
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