Page 2805 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 29 June 2011
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Canberrans aged 15 years or older. Nearly 23 per cent of Canberrans participated three times a week and nearly 12 per cent of Canberrans participated once a week. Nationally, the overwhelming majority, 69 per cent, participated in exercise, recreation or sport only once a week. So Canberra is ahead in terms of the numbers and the percentage of our population who participate, and also the frequency of that participation is much higher in Canberra.
Pleasingly, the ERASS report shows that Canberrans aged over 64 years are more likely to take up some form of activity—their increase in participation since 2001 has been 10.8 percentage points. That reflects a series of targeted government programs, particularly our active ageing strategy to ensure that there are opportunities for people to participate in sport and recreation throughout the life cycle. We are focused on the under-15 age group as well. I particularly point to the former minister’s physical activity challenge, now the active kids challenge, and the important work at the Children’s Physical Activity Foundation that I established to ensure that we have a particular focus on the under-15 age group as well.
Noting that a number of the strategic priorities and initiatives contained within the active 2020 strategy need to be delivered in partnership with the sport and recreation sector, it is important that there is an ongoing engagement with that sector. That is why the advisory council will be working with the government to monitor and implement this particular strategy. There will be reporting, and we will be able to see how we are tracking, through the ERASS data, on a year-by-year basis. It is good to note the significant improvement over a 10-year period.
I do note, although I am sure that my political opponents would seek to use this as me talking this down, that once you start getting into the 90 per cent level of participation it starts to get very difficult to get significantly beyond that. I am sure that in an ideal world we would all love every single member of our community to participate. That might be a goal that is beyond even the best endeavours of the government and the sport and recreation industry combined. But we want to continue to be ahead of the national average and continue to see participation grow, particularly in areas where we have targeted our efforts. The improvement in participation for Canberrans over 64 years is a particularly pleasing result given the focus on that.
I will conclude by again thanking Ms Porter for bringing the motion forward. I acknowledge that generally speaking, with a few snide attacks from the opposition spokesperson, as one would anticipate in a debate of this nature and at this stage in the Assembly’s week, broadly it would appear that there is support across the Assembly for the intent of the strategy. We look forward to delivering the detail over the next decade.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (12.16): I want to make a couple of brief remarks. The Greens will be supporting Mr Doszpot’s amendment. I particularly noted the conversation that took place about ACTSport—where it sits and its relationship with the government. I must confess that since I came into this place and took up the sport and recreation portfolio for the Greens, I have struggled to understand the relationship between ACTSport and the ACT government. It appears at times to have been—perhaps frosty is the best description. I have never quite understood why that is, and it
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