Page 3809 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 24 August 2010
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walking the dog can help students meet the challenge goals. I think there are few better ways to encourage young Canberrans into sport and physical activity than through school as part of a well-rounded education.
Before I move on to other areas of government policy supporting junior sport, I would just like to take this opportunity to wish all 19½ thousand students involved in this year’s minister’s physical activity challenge the best of luck in completing the challenge. There are still a number of weeks to go, but as I go around schools and see the wall charts in classrooms and see the level of participation in the challenge, it is, indeed, terrific to see.
The most obvious way that the government supports junior sport across the territory, though, is by providing quality public playing facilities. As Mr Seselja mentioned in his contribution, this has become a particular challenge in recent times in the face of ongoing drought and water restrictions. However, in response to these challenges, since taking office, the government has invested around $30 million, including $8 million in last year’s budget, to upgrade and make our facilities drought-proof.
There are numerous examples of projects that have been funded under programs responding to the drought, and I would just like to mention one particularly good partnership with Capital Football. We invested together with Capital Football in a FIFA-rated synthetic pitch at Hawker. I had the opportunity to play a game or two on that facility, and it is world class. It is but one of many examples where the government has partnered with community-based sporting organisations to respond to the challenges of drought.
Despite the drought, we have successfully developed and maintained our community sporting facilities. When it comes to encouraging junior sport, community facilities are vital. That is why, as we have been able to bring online more ovals under our existing cap of water restrictions, we have focused on areas that require that additional sporting capacity. Six new ovals have been brought online this year, and there are two new major facilities in Gungahlin and Throsby that are in the forward planning stages. These new ovals will add to the more than 256 hectares of irrigated, fully maintained sports fields that the ACT government manages.
Harrison neighbourhood oval, the northern end of Harrison district playing field, and the Ngunnawal neighbourhood oval were all made available for sport this winter. Phillip oval and the new pavilion were completed in July. The Nicholls synthetic oval is due for completion in September. That is a facility funded by the federal and ACT governments under the schools working together program, so Holy Spirit and Gold Creek primary schools in Nicholls are involved in that project. I can advise the Assembly that the southern end of the Harrison district playing field is due to be available for summer sports from October, and the Bonner neighbourhood oval will be available for sport in the summer of 2010-11. New playing fields at Throsby and Gungahlin will increase the number of sports ground locations managed by the ACT government to 105.
Construction of the $12.5 million enclosed oval and associated infrastructure in the town centre is expected to commence mid next year. It will cater for all major football codes, from junior through to senior level and will provide grandstand seating for
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