Ms VAGHELA (Western Metropolitan):
My adjournment matter is directed to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Community Sport and Minister for Youth, the Honourable Ros Spence, MP.
My adjournment relates to the minister’s responsibilities for community sport.
A new round of the Andrews Labor government’s sporting clubs grants program is now open, providing $2000 grants to community sport and active recreation organisations for events that have been unable to proceed or will have to be cancelled or postponed due to the current restrictions.
This support will aim to bolster community sporting groups that have been most affected by the recent restrictions in place to drive down the fast-moving and highly contagious delta strain, and protect the health and livelihood of all Victorians.
Victorian sport and active recreation organisations that were impacted by the recent lockdown in Victoria can now apply for a funding lifeline courtesy of the Victorian government’s sporting club grants program.
The action I seek from the minister is: can the minister please give me an update on how the government is promoting this important initiative to the community sporting clubs in my electorate of Western Metropolitan Region?
Reply:
Ros Spence MP Minister for Community Sport (13 October 2021):
I thank the Member for her question and for her support of community sport in the Western Metropolitan Region.
As the Member has noted, the Event Costs Support Stream of the Sporting Club Grants Program has provided considerable funding to assist sporting clubs that have incurred costs that cannot be recouped after events or activities were cancelled or postponed during the recent lockdowns.
The program opened on 21 July 2021 and grants of $2,000 were available for Victorian sport and recreation organisations that were forced to cancel or postpone events or activities as a result of the lockdowns. The program closed on 28 September 2021 as the $500,000 in funding allocated to the program had been exhausted.
Media releases were issued to promote the program when it opened, with accompanying social media activity. The program was also promoted via a newsletter from Sport and Recreation Victoria to more than 6,000 previous applicants of recent funding programs. In addition, advice was sent to recognised State Sporting Associations, State Sport and Active Recreation Bodies, Regional Sports Assemblies, Regional Academies of Sport, Local Government Authorities and local sporting clubs and other relevant networks.
I’m pleased to advise that $50,000 in funding has been provided to 25 clubs from the Local Government Areas of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley and Wyndham.
In addition to the Sporting Club Grants program, a fourth round of the Community Sport Sector COVID-19 Survival Package opened on 28 September. This funding round will provide an additional $10 million support to more than 6,000 clubs, associations and leagues, on top of the $40 million previously allocated to the Package. Grants of $2,500 are available for associations and leagues and grants of $1,500 for clubs and community sporting and active recreation organisations. Previous recipients from any of the first three funding rounds are eligible to opt-in for top-up payments of $2,500 for associations and leagues and $1,500 for clubs.
This funding is available to support ongoing fixed costs, essential salary costs and any other costs that keep organisations viable, and also for the purchase equipment and cleaning supplies necessary to function in a COVIDSafe manner once restrictions ease.
I would like to commend the Member for Western Metropolitan Region for her continued interest in the needs of the community sport and recreation sector.