Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Kemp. As the minister is aware, the Australian Institute of Sport celebrated its 25th birthday recently. Will the minister update the Senate on the impact that the Australian Institute of Sport has had on sport in Australia?

Rod Kemp (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for the Arts and Sport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank my colleague Senator Cory Bernardi for his question. Senator Bernardi, as we all know, was a member of the Australian Sports Commission and he did an excellent job in that role before he entered the Senate. I can further point to his expertise by recording the fact that I believe that Senator Bernardi was a member of the Australian rowing team. So it is not surprising that the senator has a particular interest in the AIS.

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the AIS 25th anniversary dinner in Canberra along with some 1,100 other people including, I am delighted to say, Senator Lundy. Senator Lundy said to me what an outstanding occasion it was. Indeed, this is probably the first occasion that I can say in this chamber that Senator Lundy was absolutely right. As we all know, the Australian Sports Commission and the AIS have much to be proud of in helping Australia as a powerful force on the international sporting stage.

The Australian government understands the importance of sport at all levels, and that is why our sports sector is enjoying unprecedented levels of government support. From its beginnings in 1981, following poor results at Montreal, the AIS has developed into an internationally acclaimed national centre of sports excellence for the training and development of elite athletes and teams. It has grown in quite a number of ways. The AIS originally offered scholarships in eight sports, all based in Canberra. Today I am happy to report that there are around 700 sportsmen and sportswomen in 35 separate programs covering 26 sports, on scholarships. Our athletes also have access to about 75 coaches, world-leading sports science services, state-of-the-art sports facilities, and opportunities for national and international competition, as well as the chance to work and study. For life after sport, Senator Bernardi will be pleased to know athletes have access to education guidance, career planners and personal development officers.

There are some important statistics to share with the Senate from the AIS after 25 years: more than 6,000 sportsmen and sportswomen have passed through the AIS since its establishment in 1981; AIS athletes, past and present, have contributed 10 gold, 10 silver, 12 bronze medals—65 per cent of Australia’s tally of 49 medals at the 2004 Olympic Games; and 47 current and former sportsmen and sportswomen won 13 gold, 27 silver and 23 bronze medals at the Athens Paralympic Games. In fact, if the AIS had competed as a country at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games this year, I am advised they would have finished second on the gold medal table—a truly great record.

In May 2002, the Australian government committed some $70 million in funding over four years to the upgrade and expansion of the AIS, a proposal which I think was welcomed in this chamber. The Australian government has also funded an AIS European training base in northern Italy which allows AIS Australian athletes and teams to live, train and compete from a European base. I am happy to give credit to all the ministers for sport who have strongly supported the AIS over its 25 years. The results of the AIS are an example of how governments of all persuasions can work together. (Time expired)