Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

None . . Page.. 1333 ..


We have had a number of discussions with various people in the department and various groups, including the P and C, the PE teachers, a number of individual primary and secondary teachers, constituents and other members of the department. The sports unit, having gone to Victoria, is currently drawing up a series of options, which I understand I will have within the next few days. It is intended that those options will then go out to the key stakeholders and, indeed, anyone else who is interested. I am very keen to ensure maximum consultation now as to how improvements can be made. Schools are different - some have very good programs; some have very few programs at all - and there are a number of factors that need to be looked at. These factors have certainly become apparent to me as the relevant Minister over the last few months. I do not think we can have simplistic solutions here, but it is utterly important that we improve the situation.

Moneghetti came up with some pretty sensible timeframes and timelines in relation to children from kindergarten through to Year 10. However, I have not seen the draft proposal. That has not gone through further consultation, and it needs to do so. We need to see what is the best way of making the necessary improvements to make sure that it works in our system, and that is the next stage. I would encourage not just the few members of the Assembly I have spoken to who are keen to assist, but all members, to contribute in this stage, especially members such as Ms McRae and Mr Wood, who have expertise and experience in this area in either their previous lives or their Assembly lives. Mr Wood, of course, was a Minister at the time this document came out. I think it is important that everyone should be involved. This should not be something on which people try to score cheap political shots. I could do that by saying that the previous Government did very little in relation to this and we are doing something, but I think the most important thing is to see that improved PE programs and sports activities are given to all children up to Year 10.

A number of people have said, “You just want competitive sport”. I have never said that. That has never been the Government's intention. There will always be some kids who want to play competitive sport, but there will be a hell of a lot who do not want necessarily to engage in that form of physical activity. There are numerous types of activities, good physical activities, that suit children who may not enjoy playing soccer, netball, rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules, cricket or the other more traditional sports.

Mr Kaine: Billiards.

MR STEFANIAK: That is possibly not terribly physical, Trevor, but a lot enjoy that. A lot enjoy bushwalking. A lot enjoy things like rock climbing. A lot enjoy cycling. There are any number of good physical activities that help kids appreciate the need for a healthy lifestyle and set them on the way to achieving that. Things have changed from what was offered by schools 20 or 30 years ago, when some of us were at school. The options then were far more limited. It is important to realise that, whilst interschool sport and competitive sport are very important, and of course improvements can be made there, we are primarily concerned about those 30 or 40 per cent of kids, especially in their high school years, who are doing little or no activity. The Senate inquiry report indicates


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .