29 September 2020 | Tennis ACT

During 2020, the Coalition of Major Participation Sports (COMPS) ACT has been advocating for the reform and improvement of community sport and recreation in the ACT. Our advocacy has been on four main priorities:
1. Sustaining community sport beyond the pandemic
2. Finding a more sustainable model for sport and recreation infrastructure investment
3. Valuing local community sport and recreation
4. Establishing a representative body for the sport and recreation sector.

COMPS ACT has a developed a ‘SCOREBOARD’ document to compare the election commitments of major parties in the 2020 Election in the ACT towards community sport and recreation in the ACT.

James Allsopp, the Chair of COMPS ACT said ” We have chosen to publish a ‘SCOREBOARD’ to highlight the issues that COMPS ACT believes are currently at play in order to chart a strategic way forward to progress the interests of the community sport and recreation sector in the ACT”.

Allsopp added, “COMPS ACT considers these issues to be front and centre to bring about positive reform to the community sport and recreation sector. Fundamentally, these issues need to be addressed as both strategic and operational perspectives”.

COMPS ACT notes that prior to meetings with political parties, the Liberal Party had released its sport and recreation-specific “Find Your Game” plan in November 2019 and the Greens had a sport and recreation policy included in their “Building a Better Normal” Election Platform of June 2020. The Labor Party has committed, should it be re-elected, to revitalising the Active2020 Plan that has been in place since 2011.

“COMPS ACT wants to acknowledge that the major parties were all prepared to meet, discuss and consider these issues,” Allsopp stated “we believe as a consequence of our advocacy that the political process is better attuned to responding to the needs of community sport and recreation. COMPS ACT considers that good processes lead to good outcomes, this objective has underpinned taking our position on seeking improvement for community sport and recreation”.

It is important to note the ratings contained in the SCOREBOARD correlate with the four priorities that COMPS outlined in our position paper, i.e. COMPS ACT believes that:

a) the ACT needs long term aims and aspirations that can be fulfilled for the benefit of community engagement and well-being and avoid the lure of a short-term approach, and

b) these issues should be imperatives for the party/parties elected to govern the ACT following the 2020 election.

The SCOREBOARD has been developed following discussions with the major parties, i.e. the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, and the Greens Party, and follow-up research of their plans, policies, and/or media releases. These discussions were incredibly valuable and can be a springboard for our ongoing relationship with each of these parties.

Allsopp concluded, “When we look at the tremendous commitment of each of the parties to sporting infrastructure, there is a real case for reaching bi-partisanship on this issue.”

One of the minor parties, the Belco Party, independently sought out COMPS ACT as did an independent candidate, Fiona Carrick from the electorate of Molonglo. COMPS ACT notes that it did not discuss these issues with the Canberra Progressives Party, however, there was some correlation in their election aspirations for better planning processes and in valuing community cohesion.

COMPS ACT holds the view that the ACT should have in place long term aims and aspirations that can be fulfilled for the benefit of community engagement and well-being and avoid the lure of short termism. These issues should be imperatives for the party/parties elected to govern the ACT following the 2020 election.

To view the full scoreboard, click here