Sports Vouchers Program

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. How is the government's Sports Vouchers program helping community members in the electorate of Black?

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:46): I wholeheartedly thank the member for her question and acknowledge her strong belief in the importance of sport and recreation for people in our southern community and the role it has in keeping people healthy and active.

Mr Speaker, as you are very well aware, back in 2015 the Sports Vouchers program began here in South Australia. The program was most recently expanded at the start of 2024 to include Scouts and Girl Guides, and most recently the Malinauskas Labor government announced that from 1 January 2025 the amount for sports vouchers available per year per child will be $200—and expanded to include music lessons.

What an announcement that was in the heart of the electorate of Black! I had the pleasure of being at the Cove Sports Precinct, which has benefited from a $2.5 million investment from this government following excellent advocacy from outstanding local candidate Alex Dighton and local clubs, to make this announcement.

I was at this announcement with the excellent Assistant Minister for Junior Sport Participation, the Mayor of Marion, and some very happy young people from clubs including the Cove and Happy Valley BMX clubs; Sheidow Park Cricket Club; Seacliff Hockey Club; Hallett Cove Netball Club; Cove Tigers Netball Club; Cove Football Club Cobras; Victoria, a local rhythmic gymnast; and Serena, a super talented cellist. They were all really happy, as are the people at Kingston House Reserve where we have also invested $200,000 to upgrade and resurface two tennis courts at the reserve and provide fencing and a drinking fountain.

It is fair to say that the huge crowd of local community members in attendance at the Sports Vouchers announcement, the assistant minister, the mayor and I had a brilliant time, with so many parents sharing with us what a difference this doubling of the sports voucher amount will make to them.

So far this year 2,254 sports vouchers have been redeemed by people in the electorate of Black. The top five activities in Black for this year are football, swimming, gymnastics, soccer and netball—with a special mention to basketball, which is a very close sixth, and a shout-out to the two people who used it for tenpin bowling. So far this calendar year, 746 people in Hallett Cove and another 520 in Sheidow Park have utilised the voucher. Overall, the local community in Black have so far saved more than $224,000 this calendar year alone. This is more than the amount in 2022 and on par with the 2023 figure, bringing the total amount the local families in Black have saved to more than $640,000 since the start of 2022.

Should these numbers continue on the same path or, more likely, trend upwards next year, with this government's decision to double the amount of vouchers available to every eligible child, it will mean people in Black will be saving nearly half a million dollars a year toward the costs associated with participating in the sport and recreation they love.

We know this means our children and young people will embed themselves in their local community and benefit from the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing benefits that come with being active and part of a club. Being a local and being part of the local community is what Alex Dighton is passionate about. As a father and a teacher in the community, he understands the importance of ensuring the young people of Black are participating in the sport or recreation they love.