SPORTS FUNDING

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:50): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Police, representing the Minister for Sport, questions about sports funding.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: Yesterday we saw the state government announce a $100 million funding package for AAMI Stadium. In response to this announcement various representatives from athletics, hockey and swimming quite rightly asked, 'What about us?'

This Thursday's budget is crucial for the wellbeing of these sports. However, what is even more concerning is that the federal Labor government has recently scrapped about $2 million in funding for the north-eastern community's sporting clubs. My office has been contacted by representatives of the Golden Grove football and tennis clubs who have voiced their concerns that the $1.2 million promised by the former federal government to upgrade Harper's Field and $687,000 to upgrade Tilley Reserve will not be honoured by the Rudd Labor government. Together with the Premier's announcement yesterday about AAMI Stadium, it would seem that Labor has forgotten about grassroots sports.

The member for Makin (Mr Tony Zappia) has passed the buck and said he will try to attract more attention to these clubs at a state level. I congratulate the north-eastern community, which has already obtained 3,000 signatures on a petition which calls for the regional partnerships funding to be reinstated. My questions to the minister are:

1. Has Labor forgotten about grassroots sports?

2. Will the minister work with his federal colleagues to end the Labor blame game and ensure that these sporting clubs are delivered with the funding that was promised to them?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Police, Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning) (15:51): The answer to the first question is, of course, no. In relation to the second question, the previous Howard government was throwing money around like confetti before the election. It was not really throwing money around: it was throwing promises around like confetti. Of course, at the end of last year, we saw the highest level of inflation we have had in many years because the previous government had put pork barrelling spending ahead of financial responsibility.

I have a great deal of sympathy for the current federal government in trying to put a cap on inflation and trying to deal with the situation it has inherited. The high levels of inflation that were inherited by the federal government and the consequential increase in interest rates have had a very significant impact on the living standards of many working Australians. Inevitably, the Rudd government has had to deal with inflationary pressures that have built up. One of the reasons we had those inflationary pressures was that the previous government was making all sorts of promises in marginal seats all around the country.

We all know just how unfair the funding was that took place under that government. We saw some regional grants where about 80 or 90 per cent of the funding was going to marginal coalition-held seats. Unfortunately, there has to be some limit to what governments can spend. This government, as the honourable member has said, has provided money for football.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: It is nothing compared to what they spend. They are saying, 'There is $100 million for them. Where is all this money?' They have been talking about stadiums that would cost $2 billion: that is what the sporting stadiums will cost in Western Australia. If they are going to spend this sort of money, they need to talk about where they are going to get it from. If the member who asked this question is serious about pushing forward those sorts of policies—and he is the parliamentary secretary, I understand, for sport—and supporting policies of his party in spending hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars on sport, how on earth is he going to get more money for local sport if he is promising five times more than this government is proposing to spend on elite sport? So, I think the honourable member really needs to sort out his own policy before he starts attacking the policy of this government.