Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bernardi for his question. As minister responsible for drug policy, I was recently delighted to be able to attend the Good Sports Awards down in Victoria—actually at the MCG, many would say the home of sport in this country. The Good Sports Awards are much more than just a reflection of the importance of sport; they are a real celebration of community. We see these clubs who are working incredibly hard with local people out in their communities addressing issues like alcohol, obesity, smoking and mental health. It is an absolute testament to those clubs and the great job that they are doing. The job that they are doing is clearly showing that they are reducing harmful drinking cultures. We know this is an issue.

The government is absolutely committed to reducing harmful drinking and we know that these clubs play a vital role in addressing that very significant issue. There are around 7,000 clubs now signed up to the Good Sports program, which is an increase of around a third from 2014—a tremendous achievement. The government is working with the Good Sports clubs and the good work that they have done has resulted in us giving the Good Sports program an extra $19 million over four years to support the very good work that they are doing.

It really does focus more on participation and less on drinking. We know that there is a culture of drinking in this nation; we also know that it is really important for young people to have role models when it comes to the sporting environment who will show them the way forward and provide opportunities for young people to be involved in sport without that harmful drinking culture surrounding them.