Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, Chris Hartcher, has today called upon the State Government to recommit itself to funding the Central Coast Academy of Sport after the Iemma Government announced funding to all Regional Academies of Sport in NSW, will be cut by 33%.

“There are 11 Regional Academies of Sport in NSW, one of them being on the Central Coast.  Ian Robilliard, Managing Director of the Central Coast Academy of Sport wrote to me when they were notified that $500,000 will be cut from the 2008/09 Budget, a third of their overall funding”, said Chris Hartcher.

Officially launched in 2004, the Central Coast Academy of Sport provides opportunities for athletes, coaches, administrators, officials, sports science practitioners and other sports related parties. As a Not-for-Profit organisation, the Central Coast Academy of Sport is positioned to ensure the sports industries of the region have an opportunity to fully develop their skills and expertise.

In an extract of a speech delivered to the NSW Parliament today, Chris Hartcher said,

“The Central  Coast  Academy of Sports under Managing Director Ian Robilliard, currently features sports such as Golf, Rugby  Union, Netball, Surf Lifesaving, Football, Basketball, Tennis, Athletics, Surfing, Lawn Bowls and Speed Skating. 

The impact of proposed funding cuts to the Central  Coast  Academy of Sport will be significant. Sports programs will be lost, many young athletes will not have the opportunity to advance their skills, the ability to support our athletes to the highly successful Academy Games would be placed in a tenuous position, the elite pathway to NSW Institute of Sport would be impacted upon, disadvantaged groups would not be catered for, and unfortunately the Central Coast Academy of Sport would have to reduce staffing levels.

Again it is the Central  Coast taking the brunt of budgetary cuts. The Central  Coast makes up more than 5% of the States population with over 300,000 people with the population expected to increase by another 60,000 over the next 20 years.

When compared to the ACT with a similar to the Central  Coast with a population of 330,000, the ACT Government allocated $5 million a year for 4 years for Sporting and Recreation. This is a lot more than their Labor counterparts in NSW offer the Central  Coast.

The Regional Academies have been asked to prepare a business case for Treasury by the end of September - detailing why the enhancement funding that was cut should be reinstated.

This is the opportunity for Grant McBride, Marie Andrews and David Harris to lobby their own Minister, this is their opportunity to stand up for the young people in their electorates, to stand up for sporting people on the Central Coast, to stand up for future Olympians and stand up to their Labor mates and demand the money be allocated to the Academy of Sports on the Coast.”

“Given we have all been engrossed with the success of the Olympic Games in Beijing, now is not the time to be cutting funding to Sporting bodies.”