The Rudd Government has failed the Australian sporting community by spending more than $100 million on election pork barrelling rather than on providing stronger support for swimming, Senator Cory Bernardi said today.
Senator Bernardi said that the Rudd Government promised grants for community recreation facilities in marginal electorates that amounted to over $100 million during the last election, yet has only committed $260 million to the entire national sports budget.
“The Minister for Sport Kate Ellis has admitted that Australia has become complacent in its elite sports funding yet has offered no firm commitment of additional funds. Shamefully, the Rudd Government actually cut funding from sport anti-doping education programs in this year’s Budget,” said Senator Bernardi.
“The revelation by Australia’s head swimming coach that Great Britain spends more on its open-water program than Australia does on its whole swimming budget demonstrates the real threat to Australia in maintaining its excellence within the international sporting community.
“Swimming is one of the highest recipients of sport funding. Just imagine how some of our other athletes in less successful sports are fairing?
“The Rudd Government and Minister Ellis have failed the Australian elite sporting community. Instead of spending the extra $100 million to support our athletes, the Rudd Government chose to spend it on votes.
“The glaring hole in Australia’s sports budget is that there is no clear funding plan through to the London Olympics in 2012.
“According to the Australian Olympic Committee boss John Coates, Australia is under serious threat of dropping out of the top ten countries by 2016 because of the level of funding elite sport receives from the Government.
“Australian sports funding needs to be focused and disciplined, just like our Olympic athletes, not worked out on a whiteboard as a means to win marginal seats.
“Minister Ellis has been avoiding disclosure of the commitments she is administering as she knows that her Government’s decision to buy votes rather than invest in our country’s sporting future will come at a huge cost to our national sporting performance.
“How can we expect our athletes to plan and perform when the Rudd Government has failed to do both?”
