Crawford Report

CRAWFORD REPORT

By now, you would have heard many comments on the recently released Crawford Report into the delivery of Sport in Australia. This is certainly well overdue, and introduces much needed discussion on the funding and opportunities available to sports in Australia. A section of the report comprising a summary of the findings can be found here. The report openly questions the ‘trickle down’ policy from elite to grass-roots level. Evidence has shown that the vast sums of money spent seeking ‘Olympic Gold’ may not be producing the desire effect of increasing interest an participation at entry level in our sports. We welcome any increase development of the base-line of our sport, be it in schools, clubs, community or youth groups…surely, with more participation at entry level, there will be a greater number of potential young athletes to choose from. Retention of these participants is an equally serious consideration. Those not making selection into National Training Squads are often left questioning their involvement with the sport, so more emphasis could be placed on creating suitable alternatives to retain their interest.

NSW COMMUNITY SPORT WELCOMES CRAWFORD REPORT

The NSW Sports Federation calls for the endorsement and implementation of David Crawford’s community sport recommendations. As the peak representative body for state sporting organisations in NSW, the Federation has long sought further support for sport, particularly in areas such as volunteer education, community infrastructure and tax rebates.

The Independent Sport Panel’s report, titled The Future of Sport in Australia, was released by Minister for Sport Kate Ellis on Tuesday of last week. She has advised she will comment on the report in 2010.

Community Sport recommendations should be implemented immediately. The NSW Sports Federation says the report’s community sport recommendations are appropriate and long overdue. In particular, the Federation calls for the immediate implementation of:

A national sports policy framework

Collections of statistics and data that is comparable across sports

Make sport in schools a stand-alone key learning area in the national curriculum

Repair, upgrade and develop school sporting facilities and provide greater access

A national volunteer program for sport

Fund and develop Australia’s community sport and recreation facilities

A national sport facilities fund

Explore the viability of tax rebates to reduce the cost of participation

Recommendation to maintain funding at current levels not satisfactory. The Independent Sport Panel’s report also recommends that the Australian Government should maintain sport funding at current levels. Whilst many of the report’s recommendations are supported by the NSW Sports Federation, the Federation has long lobbied for increased sports funding and will continue to do so.

Other recommendations invite much debate. In regard to the recommendation that the Active After-school Communities program be reviewed, the NSW Sports Federation advocates that this money be made available to sporting organisations to fund their engagement with the community, e.g. through school based programs.

The NSW Sports Federation informed community sport recommendations. The NSW Sports Federation was a key contributor to the Independent Sport Panel through the Australian State Sports Federations Alliance. The NSW Sports Federation is proud of this national representation by State Sports Federations and the fact that it had many state sporting issues ‘heard’ by, and changes recommended to, the Australian Government. State Sports Federations meet today to consider our joint response to this report.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact NSW Sports Federation CEO, Debbie Kemp, on 8116 9740 or 0408 028 075 or email debbie [dot] kempsportnsw [dot] com [dot] au.

Alternatively visit www.sportnsw.com.au

To see the NSW Sports Federation's full response to the Independent Sport Panel's report please click here.

file: 

crawford-summary.pdf