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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-07-02 Daily Xml
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Grassroots Football, Cricket, and Netball Facility Program

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Can the minister advise why no sporting clubs in Labor electorates shared in the $6 million round 2 of the Grassroots Football, Cricket, and Netball Facility Program?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:58): It is an absolute disgrace, Mr Speaker—

Mr Picton interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister, be seated for one moment. The member for Kaurna can leave for the remainder of question time.

The Hon. S.K. Knoll: Lasted longer than Playford at least.

The SPEAKER: Minister for Transport, I don't need your commentary right now. The minister has the call.

The honourable member for Kaurna having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: This just shows how much those on the other side of this chamber want to play politics. What we have done, and what we did very clearly through our grassroots football, cricket, and netball program, was we put a program in place where we encouraged South Australians, councils, sporting clubs and communities to come together, work with government, work with local council, work with their local member as well, if they so chose, and clearly they didn't choose on that side. They don't rate and they can't do any work over there.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: They just sit there and do nothing and don't support their communities. Good local members get out and about and they work with their councils, they work with their local sporting bodies and they put forward good applications and good projects to be supported.

Added to that, to make sure that this got the best results we got the SANFL and the SACA, and they actually put money into this project along with Netball SA—they got involved—and they went and had a look. They looked across South Australia and they found that $87 million was lacking in projects left by those opposite, $87 million worth of projects that had not been funded over a long period of time.

A lot of work needed to be done, and we were happy to roll up our sleeves and do that work. We were happy to do that work, so we went out into the communities and we asked, 'Come forward, put forward projects, work with your local council, work with your local member, work with those sporting organisations.' We know there is an increase in the number of people playing football and cricket in particular, especially women joining the sports; so we wanted to make sure we delivered the facilities they needed.

Again, the SANFL and the SACA went and assessed it. If those on the other side are accusing organisations like the SANFL, the SACA and Netball SA, of looking at where electoral boundaries sit, shame on them! What they did identify was where projects were needed, who was putting forward a good project, and they delivered against them. So, again, we put $15 million into this project—$15 million.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Assessments were made. They came to me and I accepted those recommendations, and we turned that $15 million into $59 million worth of projects. That doesn't sound like good maths to those opposite. Why would you take $15 million of taxpayer money and turn it into nearly $60 million of projects for South Australians?

And please take a moment to have a look at some of the comments of those organisations that said, 'We have been looking and we have been fighting for five, six and seven years to get this project delivered in our community, and they have not been delivered.' Yet they partnered with the SANFL, they partnered with SACA, they partnered with Netball SA, in most cases they partnered with their local council as well, and those councils put them forward—and we were happy to partner with them.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: So we put facilities out there. Don't get me wrong: is there more that needs to be done? Yes, there is—because they left us plenty to do and we are doing it. They don't like to hear it, but we are delivering to the communities, and the communities are happy. Come with us, please speak to your local communities, put an application in.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Your electorate got a really great project. In fact, I was down at West Lakes last week and they were ecstatic. You should have come along. You didn't even know it was happening. You're a disgrace. Seriously, get on board, go out and head down to your local sports club and have a chat to them. See what they need, help them with their application and get it in because those that do get good results. And guess what? All those sporting communities have big smiles on their faces. They are out there ready to play sport. Get nice and healthy, get nice and happy, keep doing it, get involved and you, too, may be able to help your local community.

The SPEAKER: If the minister did that for 150 minutes a day he would be very fit. The member for Florey has been patiently waiting and I move to her.

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