Page 2351 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 12 August 2014
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MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo—Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Corrective Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for Sport and Recreation) (5.09): I rise to speak briefly in my capacity as Minister for Sport and Recreation. I thank Mr Doszpot for his comments and his welcoming remarks. I am certainly very pleased to have taken on this portfolio. Whilst I obviously was not involved in the development of the budget this year, I will speak briefly to some of the comments that were made in the debate.
Certainly for my own part, I think that placing a strong emphasis on community sport will be a hallmark of the role I intend to play in my capacity as the minister for sport. I think that having a strong community sports sector serves many purposes. It obviously builds community. It provides individual benefits for people through having a sense of belonging, through wellbeing, through both physical health and mental health, and I think it simply is such an integral part of our community that the government have a clear role in ensuring that we facilitate community sport as effectively as we possibly can.
There are a number of issues in the budget which are a matter of record now, but I think we have seen some good initiatives. I am particularly pleased that the Gungahlin Leisure Centre has finally opened. The reports I have heard from people who have already been out there and used the facility are that it is extremely good. It is so far quite uncrowded. I think it is a bit of a hidden gem at this stage compared to, say, the popularity of Civic pool, but it is a facility that will be very popular, I hear. The quality of it is very good.
It is clear that swimming is a great sporting activity for people to get involved in. The development of new facilities such as the new water play park for the Tuggeranong Lakeside Leisure Centre, which has funding in the budget, will be another one that will enhance the recognition of our pools, hopefully draw more people to them, and perhaps see them get involved in other activities beyond the play park, whether it is their children joining a swimming squad, getting involved in water polo or simply doing a bit of recreational swimming.
Members interjecting—
MR RATTENBURY: There are all sorts of comments being thrown across the chamber. If members want to come and ask me about matters, I am more than happy, but I cannot actually hear when you all shout at me at once. It is quite difficult to make it out across the chamber.
We have of course just seen the move forward on the Lyneham facilities, where Tennis ACT, in partnership with Tennis Australia and the Next Generation Health and Racquet Clubs group, have come up with a development that is going to see a significant upgrading of those facilities. For tennis fans that will be a great facility, in terms of not only the possibility of drawing some higher profile events to the ACT—we have seen two of those announced already, in partnership with Tennis Australia, so we will see that higher level—but the fact that every single day of the year there will be better tennis facilities available for Canberrans to use.
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