Sports Vouchers

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:25): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister advise the house on how sports vouchers have lowered costs for the people living in the King electorate in 2020?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:26): I thank the member for her question and note that there is no-one more passionate or hardworking in this place than the member for King. She works tirelessly for her constituents. In fact, I was out in her electorate just recently. Do you know what they call her? They call her the 'Queen of King', and that's very fitting—and we know she loves sport. She works tirelessly in this area for her local sporting clubs. In fact, one of her passions is netball.

I was out at SADNA the other day where she has worked tirelessly again there to help them resurface their 20 courts: a beautiful sea of blue they are out in the north-east, where they have 400,000-plus people go through that facility in the course of the year playing sport. It is an outstanding facility and again another example of the Marshall government building what matters for the people of South Australia and building quality sporting infrastructure. Again, huge congratulations to the member for King on her involvement and passion in helping that project come about.

Also, Mr Speaker, you would be aware of our Sports Vouchers program—a great success putting money back in the pockets of the people of South Australia and getting their young people playing sport. For primary school-age children, under the previous government that voucher was $50 and we increased it to $100. When you compare the success—and this is the passion, I know, from the member for King as well—female participation and young female participants taking up these vouchers from 2017 when Labor were in government to 2020 has seen roughly a 30 per cent plus increase in the take-up by females across the state. In the member for King's electorate that number is roughly 45 per cent—an absolutely outstanding performance.

The Sports Vouchers program is putting money back in the pockets of South Australians and getting young people active. It is incredible. Across the board, 4,900 sports vouchers were claimed by people in the member for King's electorate, and that's more than $400,000 going back into the pockets of people, lowering the cost for people in South Australia and getting them active as well. The Active Club reboot round: again, 18 clubs. The member for King did some great work activating her clubs, with $36,000 going into clubs there that were rebounding after COVID-19. We know they did it tough. Volunteers have done outstanding work to keep their clubs firing along. In the member for King's electorate, she has done a huge job there.

The Golden Grove Tennis Club was out there just the other day. They have done wonderfully well also, with the member for King advocating for them $4,200 in the Active Club program, and a lot of that equipment has gone towards money for uniforms, tennis rackets, nets and balls so that young people can get out and play and be active in their community. It is a big part of our Game On program, and the member for King is right behind that. She also supported them in their grant application for the Community Rec and Sports Facilities program with $369,000 going to new clubrooms for that club—an outstanding result. They are almost finished and they look fantastic.

Again, I was with the member for King just the other day speaking with the coach out there, Craig Mousley. He has talked about this and how important it is to build what matters, and that's exactly what we are doing for the people of South Australia. He said the Sports Vouchers program has grown his after-school program—according to him, about a third extra players have come along because they can use this sports voucher, and that's growing the number of players playing in his area. We know the Golden Grove Football Club, where the member for King is a big supporter. Kate Grandey, the president there, has also said that I think about a third of their players use these sports vouchers for the primary school-age participants, so that is really impressive and it is great to see them go from strength to strength.

This is another example of how building what matters delivers for a local community, just like the member for King's community. It's a big part of our Game On program, and what we are doing in the process is lowering costs for families so they can get out, get active, have a wonderful time and be a great part of communities like the member for King's.