Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sport is at the heart of Australian culture, whether it is football in the dust bowl at the back of Moree or in the state-of-the-art facilities in Sydney, and Australians have absolutely no tolerance for corruption in sport. In August 2017, this government commissioned a review of Australian sports integrity arrangements. The Wood review was published a year later and showed us that sports integrity requires ongoing vigilance, and it outlined the need for the National Sports Tribunal. The Wood review is the most comprehensive review of sports integrity arrangements ever conducted in Australia. It's clear that we need a body to address antidoping and general disputes. The National Sports Tribunal will offer a cost-effective, transparent, timely and independent dispute resolution process for athletes and sporting bodies. It will hear antidoping matters, in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and other sports related disputes, such as player selection and sports code-of-conduct matters.

We know that Australian sport needs to be protected from an evolving and increasingly sophisticated threat environment. This government is working to ensure that Australian sport, sport participants and the economic health and cultural and social benefits of sport to the Australian community are effectively protected. We are committed to supporting sport in Australia, from grassroots to elite; increasing participation in physical and recreational activities to promote physical and mental health; staging major world-class sporting events; and utilising sport as a vehicle to address disadvantage and social inclusion challenges.

In our budget, we're investing a further $385.6 million over five years in sport and recreation. This includes the extension of the Sporting Schools program, with $41 million for the 2020 school year to continue supporting schools partnering with national sporting organisations to deliver free sporting activities. This program helps children develop a lifelong love of sport and connect them with local sporting clubs. It benefits students all over our nation, including where my nephews went to school, Spring Hill Public School, where the level of fitness, team building and increased confidence through experiencing a variety of sports has been incredible. The Sporting Schools program allows schools to give their students access to physical education without increasing the financial burden on families. It gives students the confidence and capability to be active for life.

Our budget commitment also covers the Promoting Social Inclusion through Sport program, with $23.6 million over four years. This includes $19.6 million to local community organisations for diversity and inclusion programs delivered through sport and physical activity, announced as part of the population plan, and $4 million over four years from 2019-20 to expand and extend the government's investment in the Big Issue Community Street Soccer. We're also funding the Special Olympics Australia unified community sport program, with $1.4 million over two years from 2019-20 to improve health and physical activity outcomes for young people with an intellectual disability, and the Get Skilled Access disability and inclusion sport program, with $2 million in 2019-20 to provide support to schools and community clubs.

We're also funding grassroots tennis for girls, with $12 million over four years to Tennis Australia for the Community to the World Stage program, providing support pathways and inspiration to increase female participation generally in the sport of tennis and programs for girls. I love tennis, but I never played at Josh Frydenberg's level and my results could best be described as sporadically brilliant.

We also allocated $42.5 million in 2018-19 to expand the competitive community sport infrastructure grants program to run small- to medium-scale projects, bringing the total investment in the Community Sport Infrastructure program in 2018-19 to $102.5 million. Based on the government's existing industry growth centre model, we've allocated over $500,000 over two years from 2018-19 to develop the Sports Industry Growth Plan, and $2.5 million over five years to support the Sport Australia Hall of Fame mentoring program.

We're also investing $33 million over two years to safeguard the integrity of sport. We're introducing these vital reforms in response to the Wood review. On the whole, the Australian sporting community is law abiding and clean, but in this increasingly global environment we need to be ahead of the threats to keep Australian sport fair. We need to constantly evolve to protect our investment in sport. Global sports corruption and manipulation is evolving at an alarming rate, and Australia must have a comprehensive approach to tackling the threat. This is why the government is funding the National Sports Tribunal as a two-year pilot, allowing for the refinement of its operations. By establishing this tribunal, we're ensuring the community has access to a cost-effective, transparent and effective dispute resolution process. The National Sports Tribunal will be integrated into the current sporting tribunal landscape, complementing the activities of internal sport facilities presently in place and providing a timely and cost-effective alternative to the Court of Arbitration for Sport based in Switzerland.

One significant change from the previous version of the bills package is that the National Sports Tribunal (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2019 seeks to amend the Freedom of Information Act to exempt material from release where it's covered by the secrecy provisions of the National Sports Tribunal. This proposed amendment is necessary to ensure that parties to a dispute before the National Sports Tribunal have the appropriate guarantees around the protection of their information, including sensitive medical and health information. Without this assurance, individuals may be reluctant to utilise the National Sports Tribunal due to concerns about privacy and reputation. Similarly, parties may be reluctant to fully participate in proceedings or provide required information. Establishing the National Sports Tribunal is just another way we can support our athletes and provide more opportunities for Australians to be active.