The Committee recommends that the Minister for Health and Ageing continue to support the Federal Government’s Active After-school Communities program and consider ways to expand the program to more sites across Australia.
Agreed.
In January 2011 the Australian Sports Commission released the final report into an evaluation of the Active After-school Communities program. The report found that participation in the program led to less sedentary activity in the after school hours, and increased physical activity among previously inactive children. There was also evidence that participation in the program led children to hold more positive attitudes about physical activity and trying new sports. In May 2012, the Australian Government announced the Active After-school Communities program would continue to December 2013 with $39.2 million allocated to the program from the 2012-13 Budget.
In addition to this, the Australian Government is committed to improving access to sport for all Australians. In its 2010 policy paper, Australian Sport: The Pathway to Success, the Government has made a commitment to increase the number of Australians participating in sport, strengthen sporting pathways to link grassroots and high performance sport, and strive for success. As part of the implementation of this policy, the Australian Government will work with states and territories to assemble data on the sport and recreation facility needs and priorities of communities and regions, to better inform planning and funding decisions.