Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services
Minister for Sport
Three leading members of the Australian Sports Foundation have been reappointed as the agency continues to champion sport funding and philanthropy across the sector.
Olympic rowing gold, silver and bronze medallist Kim Brennan AM, Olympic water polo gold medallist Gail Miller OAM and dual Olympian and Commonwealth Games swimming champion Andrew Baildon have been re-endorsed as their important work with the foundation continues.
The ASF has been helping athletes, sporting clubs and organisations fundraise for more than 30 years. It is chaired by prominent business identity Grant O'Brien.
Minister for Sport, Richard Colbeck, said the re-appointments provide leadership continuity for the ASF board, as Australian sport at every level continues to recover from the global pandemic.
"The past 18 months has been incredibly challenging for sport in Australia, and a recent survey by the ASF found the pandemic continues to cause financial instability, reduced participation and volunteering across the sport sector," Minister Colbeck said.
"Ms Brennan, Ms Miller and Mr Baildon have all served a three-year term on the board already, so they bring a steady hand to the Foundation at this time.
"It's at times like this that having strong leadership and stability at the ASF becomes critically important, as we grow the philanthropic funding support for Australia's sporting sector's recovery and into the future."
Ms Brennan is a management consultant specialising in technology and high performance, and has held roles with sporting bodies including the Australian Institute of Sport Ethics Committee and the AOC Athletes' Commission.
Ms Miller is an experienced professional in the property industry, has a degree in property economics and is a director on the board of the Queensland Olympic Council.
Mr Baildon is a businessman in the sports sector, an Australian Swimming board member and had an instrumental role bringing the 2018 Commonwealth Games to the Gold Coast.
Minister Colbeck thanked departing board member Josh Liberman.
"We are incredibly grateful for the contribution made by Josh Liberman on the ASF Board, having served two terms," Minister Colbeck said.
"Since joining the ASF in 2015, the Foundation has raised record amounts of funding, rising to an annual total of more than $50 million before the pandemic took hold, which is an incredible legacy."
The ASF's "Back to Sport fund" is seeking donations to support community sport's recovery from COVID-19.
