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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-09-10 Daily Xml
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Active Club Program

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Can the minister inform the house about the state government's Active Club Program and how the funding provided is building sports in South Australia and lowering costs for South Australians?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:58): I thank the member for his question. What a great question from a great local member. What a difference the Active Club Program is making to the people of MacKillop. We have just had the round 47 recipients announced, and I will run through the list.

The member for MacKillop is delivering for his community at the Beachport Bowling Club, the Glencoe Indoor Bowling Club, the Kybybolite Memorial Sports Club, the Millicent and District International Basketball Association, the Millicent Football and Netball Club, the Penola Football Club, the Kalangadoo Netball Club and the Tintinara Golf Club. He is a good member doing great things for his local community. Our state government is very proud to be building sport within South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Since coming into government in March 2018, we have committed more than $100 million to sport right across the state. That is from grassroots level right the way through to elite level.

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Reynell!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: There is no better example of giving back to the communities than round 47 of the Active Club Program. Every electorate, of course, received grants through the Active Club Program in round 47—

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Playford!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —and they have been incredibly well received. In fact, round 47 had $2.2 million going to sports clubs right across South Australia.

The member for Finniss as well, I saw on social media his beaming, smiling face while handing over an Active Club certificate to his local Goolwa Netball Club, and the president there I know was very excited to be getting that certificate for equipment going towards their netball club. It is great to see the wonderful work he is doing.

I was also up at the Blackwood Tennis Club with the member for Waite, who is doing an outstanding job—a $25,000 grant going to his tennis club to put lights on to get more people playing sport longer and deeper into the night to make sure that we are keeping people active and keeping people engaged.

That turns us to our Sports Vouchers program as well, putting money back into the pockets of South Australians. We know that those on the other side were not going to continue the Sports Vouchers Program, and we thought, 'What a shame—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —what a waste.' They had attributed no money into this project, but, no, we said on this side, 'It's a good project—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —in fact, we'll increase it. We'll double the rebates for families.' It is $100 going back into the pockets of families with young children playing sport, and we know how important that is—primary school-age kids, getting them active, getting them involved early; this is fantastic—just helping families out, just giving them back that little bit more.

On that side we have heard all day that they don't like helping out families. They don't like putting money back into the pockets of South Australians. They don't like it. Here we are reducing land tax and on that side they want to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order. Is the minister finished?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: No, I am still going, sir.

The SPEAKER: The point of order is for—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Debate, and I ask the minister to withdraw the improper motives he has imposed on members opposite. He said that we didn't care about families.

The SPEAKER: Could the minister please respectfully withdraw that last statement?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I withdraw, Mr Speaker, the assertion—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Thank you. Now, I ask that this chatter on the left stop, and if it doesn't more members will be departing. Minister.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Let me reiterate my point, and that is that on this side of the house we want families to have a bit more in their pockets to be able to go out and do more in their communities, and in particular putting that money back into local sporting clubs and getting more people to be engaged in local sport. We know how important that is.

Since January this year, more than 50,000 vouchers have been used, saving families more than $5 million. They will probably complain about that, too, but we won't hear it. We want to help out families on this side, and we are very, very proud to be doing that.

The next round of Active Club grants closes on 25 September, so we encourage people to get involved in that. If you have a local sporting club, make sure you put your application in. We have also been out there saying to communities, 'You can apply for a defib machine as well,' a defibrillator, 'through the Active Club Program’. In the last round, no-one applied for one, and we are saying to apply if your club needs one—again, it is another way to help engage local communities to make sure we are doing all we can to keep people safe and supplying what sporting clubs need.

Yes, they need equipment and, yes, they need facilities, but also we're making sure that we have an environment where people feel sale, where we can look after anyone who does have a health episode. I have talked about these defib machines in this place many times before. They are life savers—literally. They do an outstanding job, and if one of them helps one person in this state it is a great thing. We are very proud to be building our sporting clubs in South Australia and making sure that we are helping out families along the way.

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