House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-05-27 Daily Xml

Contents

RECREATION AND SPORT FUNDING

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (14:33): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Can the minister update the house on funding support provided by the state government to support the delivery of sport and active recreation in South Australia?

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee—Minister for Police, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:33): I am pleased to advise the house that I have recently approved funding for streams 1 and 2 of the 2010-11 round of the Statewide Enhancement Program. The Statewide Enhancement Program (StEP) is the government's biggest active recreation and sports grants program. StEP provides vital support for the active recreation and sport industry to build active, healthy communities right across South Australia.

Nearly every sporting activity in South Australia is supported through this program, from well-known sports like swimming, football, basketball, cricket, tennis, athletics, soccer and netball, right through to more unsung sports such as table tennis, fencing and lacrosse. In this latest round of StEP, stream 1 and 2, organisations will receive funding of $4.88 million to support the delivery of core services across the entire breadth of what is a very diverse sport and recreation industry.

The funding provided through StEP will assist sporting bodies and associations to implement programs and initiatives to get more people involved in sport and recreation. Some of the projects approved for funding in 2010-11 include talented athlete development programs, the continuation of the successful be active Field Officer Program in the states' regional areas, support for mass participation events such as the City-Bay Fun Run and Brighton Jetty Classic, and sport-based support programs for homeless adults, marginalised communities and youth at risk.

All of these organisations make a significant contribution to the community and each of them is incredibly worthy of these grants which will go towards helping them improve the outstanding level of service and activities they continue to offer South Australians. The government will continue to strongly support local community sporting groups and organisations that promote the benefits of participation in active recreation and sport.