Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services
Minister for Sport
The Coalition Government's investment in sport continues to boost the sector, supporting athletes at every level and strengthening communities nationwide.
Minister for Sport Richard Colbeck said the 2022-23 Federal Budget underlines the Government's commitment to sport as the nation embarks on a decade-long schedule of major sporting events.
"Consistent investment in sport under the Australian Government's National Sport Plan, Sport 2030, promotes a strong economy and healthy communities," Minister Colbeck said.
"This year's Budget is a showcase of additional funding, as the Government continues on that pathway.
"In the coming years our country will play host to a series of international sporting events unparalleled in our history, culminating in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"The Coalition Government is ensuring its ongoing support will help grow our reputation as the pre-eminent sporting host nation in the world."
The Government is committed to supporting the delivery of the Men's Rugby World Cup 2027 and Women's Rugby World Cup 2029, which Australia is bidding to host.
If successful, this will add rugby alongside top flight road cycling, basketball, soccer, cricket and netball events among many others that Australia will host in the next 10 years.
The Government's support will go toward event preparation and staging the rugby competitions, as well as establishing legacy programs in Australia and the Pacific region, to capitalise on the interest sparked by the events to promote community sport, and sport for women and girls.
Following the tremendous success of our Paralympic team in Tokyo, funding support of $10.6 million will be directed to Paralympics Australia to prepare and support its team for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Importantly, a further investment of $10.3 million will also promote and create leadership, safety, and long term employment opportunities for women and girls in sport to increase workforce diversity across the sector and reduce female under-representation in sport including:
- $6.3 million to fund an expanded Women Coaches Program to identify, develop and empower more than 200 women coaches per year from grassroots sport to elite level sport; and
- $4.1 million for Community Sport Leaders, to implement women's leadership programs at the community level.
The Coalition Government has also offered support for staging the Commonwealth Games in Victoria in 2026.
The bid is currently underway to bring the Games to Australia for a sixth time - the second time in eight years - following the successful 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Queensland.
The Government is investing $10.7 million in other major sporting events to drive increased community engagement, gender equality and physical activity participation to maximise social, economic and sporting outcomes including.
- $4.4 million for ICC T20 Men's World Cup 2022 legacy measures;
- $3.1 million for FIFA Women's Football World Cup 2023 legacy measures;
- $2.6 million for FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 legacy measures; and
- $400,000 for the 2023 World Transplant Games being held in Perth.
Importantly, the Morrison-Joyce Government is also investing $79.6 million in the extension of the Sporting Schools program for an additional two years, to support children, young people, and their parents to reconnect with sport in a safe and healthy way. The Sporting Schools program benefits 2.2 million students every year.
The Government will also invest in sports participation programs delivered by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), including:
- $10.3 million for national sport participation programs targeted at populations currently physically inactive or individuals who have 'dropped out' of sport;
- $3.4 million to continue the AusPlay survey, tracking the sport and physical activity behaviours of all Australians; and
- $2.8 million for the ongoing development of the National Sport Injury Database.
The Morrison-Joyce Government is also helping ensure our sporting landscape maintains its renowned status as fair and clean, with an investment of $27.3 million per year in funding for sport integrity measures.
This includes $19.8 million for Sport Integrity Australia to reinforce the National Integrity Framework, anti-doping measures, match fixing regulations and education of sport participants and $7.5 million for the WADA-accredited Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory to conduct expert analysis of samples collected through Sport Integrity Australia's anti-doping program.
