SPORTING FACILITIES

Ms PORTOLESI (Hartley) (14:46): Will the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing inform the house how the government is planning for the future with respect to facilities for grassroots sports in South Australia?

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee—Minister for Police, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:46): I thank the member for Hartley for her question and I acknowledge her interest in this area. The government has made a commitment to increase the level of physical activity across the South Australian community, and a key part of this process is providing facilities that encourage people to participate in sport and recreational activities. The government recognises this, and since 2006 has directed over $13 million in funding to provide grassroots sports facilities and equipment across the state through the Active Club program and the Community Recreation and Sports Facilities programs.

However, the demand on both the state and local government to manage, maintain and develop community sport infrastructure is ever increasing. There is also a growing recognition amongst sporting bodies that facility and other infrastructure sharing opportunities should be promoted in the interests of effective and efficient use of land and resources. As a result, the government has provided $250,000 in the 2009-10 state budget for a business case into the development of community-based sporting hubs to ensure the long-term sustainability of sports in South Australia.

This forward planning exercise will seek to provide a range of multi-use community level sporting activities and will ensure that facilities are flexible to accommodate changing use over time. We will be looking at opportunities to collocate sports with synergies in their requirements for facilities. This will make the most of the use of space, and savings will be achieved through economies of scale created by shared administrative accommodation and resources. The identification of current examples of sporting hubs and the potential to implement some of the strategies they have employed will also be explored.

The Ravensdale Community Sports Centre in Port Lincoln provides an example of the collaborative approach required to create a successful model. The project has brought together state, federal and local government funding in conjunction with contributions from the private sector and sports themselves. The end result is a first-class sporting hub that provides for the needs of hockey, football, netball, baseball, touch football, cricket, little athletics and table tennis, as well as serving the needs of the community.

Collocation of facilities has the benefit of promoting and increasing access to a broader range of sport, recreation, health, education and community services. Consultation will be undertaken with key stakeholders to identify the best process for implementation of the concept.

This government wants to encourage as many South Australians as possible to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle. This project will provide the planned approach needed to ensure that our state's future sporting facility needs can be met in a sustainable manner, making it a crucial element of the government's overall mission to increase the levels of participation in sport and recreation at a grassroots level in South Australia.