Women’s and community sports remain underfunded, yet they are crucial to community health and wellbeing.
The Greens will shine a light on this across the state, taking the politics out of funding and providing support where it is most needed.
We know playing sport is good for your health, but is also good for your wellbeing. Sports help build social connections and are a vital part of our community. Yet, lack of proper facilities and financial costs of participating in sports can become a barrier to people getting involved, meaning those who most need the benefits of sports are often missing out.
For years women’s facilities have been badly neglected, so women often don’t have change rooms or toilets, or enough courts to play on. People on low incomes, Aboriginal people and people from culturally diverse backgrounds have also often missed out due to costs of uniforms and other fees, as well as social barriers.
For too long, funding for community sports has been used as a political football. Too often funding is only committed during elections, and often it goes to marginal seats, rather than where it is most needed.
To take the politics out of community sports funding and ensure investment in community and women’s sport where it is most needed, the Victorian Greens will:
- Launch a Parliamentary Inquiry into the availability and needs of community sports clubs and facilities across the state, with a particular focus on women’s sports facilities, disability accessible facilities and supporting people on low incomes to be a part of sports clubs and teams.
- Provide $800,000 over four years to fund Australia’s Peak Women’s sports agency – Women Sport Australia to continue to advocate for women in sport.
The Greens understand that when our community sports thrive, our community thrives. We will prioritise creating healthy, liveable communities.