Grievance Debate

Grassroots Football, Cricket, and Netball Facility Program

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (15:06): Sport is powerful. It includes people, gives a sense of belonging and improves physical and mental health and wellbeing. Clubs across South Australia bring people together and are there for them. Sport has the power to change people's lives. It therefore must be an exemplar of inclusion and equality.

Governments must facilitate the equal participation of all who seek to engage in organised sport by delivering grant programs that enable that equal participation by fairly funding club infrastructure upgrades and by sending a message to all people that they are welcome to be involved. This government's Grassroots Football, Cricket, and Netball Facility Program absolutely does not do this. In rounds 2 and 3 of the program, just one of 27 grants went to a club in a Labor area. The remainder has gone almost exclusively to Liberal areas.

Given the furore caused by the federal Liberal sports rorts scandal, you would expect those opposite would want to avoid a similar scandal, particularly given their candidate for Mayo's role in kicking off that whole sorry saga. But the figures clearly show clubs in Labor electorates, representing roughly half the state's population, are missing out on vital infrastructure because of how these grants are allocated.

Over the program's three rounds, just six clubs in Labor areas have received funding from 47 successful bids. What is the minister's response to these stark numbers? Denial, of course. 'We won't be accused of favouring Liberal seats,' he told The Advertiser on 19 June. He also told The Advertiser that people, quote, do not 'give a rat's' about electorates. Well, if your club is one that has missed out, you do.

Just days after these comments, he releases another round with just one club in a Labor area successful amongst 15 bids. What does the minister say in the face of these appalling numbers? He blames somebody else of course. 'It's not us,' he says, 'It's the three sporting codes that pick the projects.' I am not sure what is worse: saying you are outsourcing decision-making on $15 million of public funds or the fact that he did have the final say on these grants.

Some clubs have missed out on federal and state government infrastructure funding, whilst others have received funding from both. Some clubs that received grants in this latest round have already been successful in securing considerable federal funding. We know all about the Morrison government's grant process of pork-barrelling $100 million in pre-election infrastructure grants, some of which went to clubs not even meeting the Sport Australia guidelines.

The minister says clubs in Labor electorates are not applying. Well, minister, tell that to the South Adelaide Football Club, who cannot afford the co-contribution. Tell that to any basketball, soccer, hockey, rugby, baseball or club of any code that is locked out of applying altogether. Tell that to SUNA or the Gawler and District Netball Association and others who have missed out on funding for vital infrastructure upgrades again and again—absolutely disgraceful. The Grassroots Football, Cricket, and Netball Facility Program formula is fundamentally flawed. The cold hard numbers absolutely show that it is geared toward more financially secure clubs who can access the 50 per cent co-contribution.

Clubs that have received funding are, of course, worthy recipients. The issue is that this is taxpayer money only being spent on the half of our community with more access to capital. Under Labor's $24 million dedicated female facilities program, cruelly cut by those opposite, projects were fully funded, merit-based and available to all clubs and all codes, unlike this government's program that is just for Australian Rules, netball and cricket.

Our program was structured that way because no matter where you live, no matter what sport you love, you deserve the opportunity to participate and equally access appropriate facilities that support that participation. The numbers make it abundantly clear that this government's taxpayer-funded program is not about providing appropriate facilities for all: it is utterly unfair. Rather than denying the bias or blaming clubs for not being able to afford to apply, this minister must explain to clubs in particular areas, to the sports excluded from the programs and to particular communities, why his government will not fund vital sporting infrastructure very much needed for their clubs.