Page 2917 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 29 June 2011
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strategic plans to enrich the Canberra community through sport and recreation. Even the plan itself is based on another whole heap of plans, reports and frameworks .
While I do not wish to delay some of the other matters of scrutiny that we have got to get to, one can sense the tenor of how this government approaches a sport policy when the strategic plan suggests:
Sport and Recreation Services positioned within Government to provide maximum support to the industry …
The government has achieved its goals. I would have thought that that was the basic role and function of sports administration within government—to support the stakeholders.
And on the matter of stakeholders, I again come back to the question of when the minister will finally appoint someone, either the CEO or the chair of ACTSport, to the sport and recreation minister’s strategic advisory council so that you can get the feedback from all of the sports, not just the main, high-profile sports where, with all due respect, you can get your photo opportunities. We need to get down to some of these lower-level, grassroots areas, Andrew. It is this sort of rhetoric and bells and whistles and coloured brochure approach that is so often this government’s substitute for real policy and real leadership.
And while we are on meaningless accountability measures, listing an accountability success measure goal of 92 per cent customer satisfaction with the management of sportsgrounds is really quite amusing and misleading. Sure, those that have access to playing fields are grateful. But does the minister realise the magnitude of the unmet sporting needs of our community? I reiterate that the scattergun approach of the past 11 years is not what the Canberra community deserves from government. The Canberra community wants local services delivered locally. Canberra families want to feel that their legislators know and understand the everyday needs of the community. One consistent message is about the urgent and growing requirement for safe local playing fields for the benefit of thousands of Canberra junior players across a range of sports.
The Canberra Liberals certainly understand the message from the community. Minister Barr, it is time to get your head out of the clouds or whatever air bridge you are dreaming of. Your treatment of sport in this budget is not transparent, it is not focused, and it provides no comfort that funds are being appropriately prioritised and directed. After 11 years of Labor mismanagement, the Canberra community deserves and wants better.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation) (9.28): I will respond to some elements of Mr Doszpot’s contribution. The overarching observation one would make, having just heard that, is that he is a little obsessed with personalities and in future he might benefit by spending a little more time focusing on the issues. But in relation to the specific issue that he is most concerned about, the soccer pitch inside an athletics track in Banks, I am happy to see
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