Answers to Questions

Women's Sport

In reply to the Hon. K.L. VINCENT (16 February 2017).

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change): The Minister for Recreation and Sport has provided the following advice:

1. The Wendy Ey Memorial Scholarship Program was a fantastic initiative, and was an appropriate strategy to engage women in elite coaching roles when it was introduced.

Change is, however, necessary to meet the needs of a constantly evolving industry, and on the advice of the Office for Recreation and Sport, the program was discontinued but was replaced with significantly more opportunities, across a variety of areas for women and girls. We have committed more than $10.1 million for women in sport.

The Wendy Ey scholarship had an annual budget of $20,000 to assist elite female coaches and officials to develop their skills and abilities. In 2005-06, it had 27 applications, which reduced to eight in 2012-13.

When the program was placed on hold for 12 months, the Office for Recreation and Sport received only two inquiries about the program, further demonstrating the lack of demand for this particular scholarship.

In eight years, around 130 participants received Wendy Ey scholarships. Since we changed the system and added more funding, around 280 participants have benefited from new program in the past two years alone.

The Minister for Recreation and Sport has been working with the Office for Recreation and Sport and the SA Women in Sport Taskforce to identify an appropriate new initiative which continues to recognise Wendy's contribution to sport and to honour her legacy.

2. This government has invested unprecedented amounts of resources to support women in sport, including the establishment of the South Australian Women in Sport Taskforce headed by Assistant Minister Katrine Hildyard MP, and has committed $10 million in the last budget to build new or upgrade existing female change rooms.

This is in addition to the programs we already have in place to support and promote women in coaching and leadership roles in sports, including Women Leaders in Sports grants, which targets female coaches, officials and administrators to develop leadership capabilities.

Further to this, in July 2016, the government provided $120,000 to target female coach development and talent identification initiatives. As a result, the sports of softball, rowing, volleyball, hockey, netball, diving, canoe and cycling received support to identify and develop women and girls as athletes and coaches.

The government has also piloted, in 2016, the coach development program, which had 29 coaches of sub-elite level nominated by sporting organisations. The program has just commenced for 2017 and has once again 29 participants in the program.

The Minister for Recreation and Sport is committed to addressing inequality in all aspects and at all levels of sport.

3. In July 2016, the government provided $120,000 to target female coach development and talent identification initiatives. As a result, the sports of softball, rowing, volleyball, hockey, netball, diving, canoe and cycling received support to identify and develop women and girls as athletes and coaches.

The government is committed to raising the profile of, and acknowledging the importance of, women in sport. We also have an expectation sport will rightly reflect all South Australians in all aspects of the sport both on and off the field.

Since 2014, the government has delivered development programs for women in sport.

Steer Your Career targets women who work in any capacity in sport and,

Developing Women Sport Leaders is aimed at women aspiring to senior management roles.

The Coach Development Program was piloted in 2016 and due to its success is being delivered again in 2017.

4. The government will soon commence a project to work with the top funded state sporting organisations to examine their governance practices, particularly in relation to gender balance on boards. The requirement for these organisations will be to work towards a ratio of 40 per cent men, 40 per cent women, and 20 per cent of either gender.