The 2022-23 Australian Federal Budget has allocated $155 million towards a sport package aimed at growing grassroots, funding women in sport initiatives, increasing sport participation and providing Paralympic support.
Key points:
- Sporting Schools program will be extended by two years.
- $6.3 million has been allocated to support the ‘Women Coaches’ program with a further $4 million allocated to develop leadership programs prioritising equity and inclusion.
- Sport Australia’s ‘Participation Grant’ has been extended.
- $10.6 million will support the Paralympic team ahead of Paris 2024.
- Funding has been provided to boost data integration initiatives.
- $27.3 million has been committed to maintaining Australia’s sport integrity.
Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) will receive more than $117 million to help fund its community initiatives.
The government funded initiative, Sporting Schools, will receive $79.6 million in funding to continue providing free sporting activities to children.
Sporting Schools is a $400 million government initiative established in 2015 to increase children’s participation in sport.
The program has partnered with over 35 national sporting organisations (NSOs) and provides children and their families with free sporting opportunities.
The budget’s funding booster will see the program continue for an additional two years.
Australian Sports Commission (ASC) chair, Josephine Sukkar, said the additional investment will help rebuild children’s participation in sport post COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
“Our national AusPlay survey shows that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decrease in children’s participation in organised sport,” Sukkar said.
“This renewed investment will help us to re-engage with more than two million children each year, helping them connect with and build skills in a sport they enjoy,” she added.
Alike the Victorian Government’s ‘Change our Game’ initiative, the budget’s funding will also be used to expand women in sport taking on leadership roles.
$6.3 million in funding has been allocated to help 600 women benefit from the ‘Women Coaches’ program over the next three years.
The program seeks to increase the presence and influence of women leaders in sport by offering government funded training for high performance coaching roles.
Sukkar said the aim of the funding is to empower female coaches from grassroots to elite level.
“Equal representation doesn’t just positively impact sports, but it shows generations to come that being a woman leader in sport is achievable,” Sukkar added.
A further $4 million is also being diverted to women’s leadership programs to support women in leadership roles as they transform community sports events as well as redefine systems and cultures in order to meet the needs of sports diverse participation.
ASC CEO, Kieren Perkins, said the allocation of funding toward women’s leadership programs will be the best way to catalyse a positive social change.
“This funding creates incredible opportunities for women and girls in sport as we strive for gender equity in the sector and position the nation as a leader in the space,” Perkins said.
Moving on from the budget’s women focused initiatives, Sport Australia’s Participation Grant will also receive a two-year extension courtesy of $10.3 million in funding.
The grant aims to unite communities by providing support funding to eligible organisations.
At current, it has helped over 500,000 participants overcome COVID-19 induced sporting barriers while increasing sport participation and education.
The budget has also committed $10.6 million in funding to support the Paralympic team’s preparations ahead of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
Turning towards data integration and technology funding, additional support towards Sport Australia’s national AusPlay survey will see the survey continue to collect data on the sporting participation landscape for the next four years.
A further $2.8 million has been allocated to develop a National Sport Injury database to better understand risks and to develop safer practices in community sport.
Finally, $27.3 million has been committed to maintaining the integrity of sport in Australia.
The funding will enable anti-doping measures, anti-match fixing regulations and education of sport participants.
