The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform, Minister for Housing and Homelessness
Images of The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform, Minister for Housing and Homelessness

THE HON MARK BUTLER MP

Minister for Mental Health and Ageing

Minister for Social Inclusion

Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform

Minister for Housing and Homelessness

Kicking Goals in the Fight Against Risky Drinking

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The Australian Government today announced the expansion of the successful Good Sports Program, an initiative supporting local sporting clubs around Australia to build a culture of responsible drinking at the grass roots level.

PDF printable version of Kicking Goals in the Fight Against Risky Drinking (PDF 239 KB)

Joint Release

The Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing
Minister for Social Inclusion
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform

Senator The Hon Kate Lundy
Minister for Sport
Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation

Andrew Leigh MP
Member for Fraser

28 May 2012

The Gillard Government today announced the expansion of the successful Good Sports Program, an initiative supporting local sporting clubs around Australia to build a culture of responsible drinking at the grass roots level.

Sporting clubs who sign up to the Good Sports program work through three levels of accreditation, must provide smoke free environments and develop transport strategies to get people home safely.

The $8.9 million expansion of Good Sports will increase the number of sporting clubs participating in the program to a minimum of 6,500 clubs by June 2014. To date, 5,000 clubs nationwide have signed up to the program.

Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler, today joined a number of local ACT Good Sports accredited sporting clubs at Manuka Oval in Canberra to announce the funding and reconfirmed the Government’s determination to fight the culture of binge drinking.

“Having a beer at the footy is a quintessential Australian experience but we need to make sure that we drink responsibly and encourage others to do the same,” Mr Butler said.

“Sporting clubs that join the Good Sports Program are sending a very clear message to the community that their focus is on the sport, rather than on alcohol sales and consumption.”

“Good Sports is allowing some of our nation’s biggest sporting clubs to successfully manage alcohol consumption to provide a safe and friendly environment for fans and their families,” Senator Lundy said.

Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh welcomed the involvement of ACT sporting clubs in the Good Sports program.

“Binge drinking is a community-wide problem and part of the solution lies in community-supported projects. I’m pleased that through Good Sports, local sporting clubs are providing a safer and healthier environment for all fans. It’s about changing the culture,” Mr Leigh said.

Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Drug Foundation John Rogerson said, "The Good Sports program is an example of a successful community program that’s achieving real change within sporting clubs and their wider communities across Australia. We are delighted to have this opportunity to grow the program and develop long-term sustainability mechanisms for its future in the landscape of Australian sport."

The expansion has 5 key objectives:
      • To increase the number of community sporting clubs across Australia that are participating in Good Sports to 6,500 clubs involved in Good Sports by June 2014
      • To support existing Good Sports clubs to progress through the Accreditation program
      • To expand Good Sports into Western Australia in partnership with Healthway, the Western Australia Health Promotion Foundation
      • To expand Good Sports focus to include young people aged 12-17, through the development of Good Sports Junior
      • To improve the accessibility of the Good Sports program in remote areas by online delivery.
For more information contact the minister’s office on 02 6277 7280

Good Sports Program Background

The Good Sports Program has grown from a pilot project to a national program operating for over 10 years supporting community sporting clubs across Australia.
Good Sports has been developed to:
      • reduce alcohol-related problems such as drink driving, violence and assault
      • change the behaviour of players, supporters and members of community sporting clubs
      • increase the viability and impact of sporting clubs in their communities
The program helps clubs to change their culture by focussing more on young people and families and less on the consumption of alcohol at high-risk levels. Good Sports creates sustainable change in sporting clubs by enabling them to make their systems and practices for managing alcohol more responsible.

For more information, visit http://www.goodsports.com.au/

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