Australian Sports Commission
Encyclopedia
Sport governing body
A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
within the portfolio of Health and Ageing
Department of Health and Ageing (Australia)
The Department of Health and Ageing is an Australian Government department. Its role is to oversee the running of Australia including supporting universal and affordable access to medical, pharmaceutical and hospital services, while helping people to stay healthy through health promotion and...
. It implements national sports policy principally through three divisions, the Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
, Community Sport and Sport Performance and Development.
History
Although it is commonly believed that the Australian Government's initial involvement in sport was prompted by the country's poor performance at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in which Australia failed to win a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
, the Government actually began initial investigations into its potential role in sport in 1973. It was at this time that the Government commissioned Professor John Bloomfield
John Bloomfield
General Sir John Bloomfield GCB was Master Gunner, St James's Park, the most senior Ceremonial Post in the Royal Artillery after the Sovereign.-Military career:...
to prepare a sports plan for the country. His report, "The Role, Scope and Development of Recreation in Australia", was based on studies of sports institutes in Europe and their success in developing elite athletes. Bloomfield suggested to the Government that it should establish a national institute of sport similar to those operating in European countries.
Following receipt of the report, the Minister for Tourism and Recreation, Frank Stewart
Frank Stewart
Francis Eugene "Frank" Stewart , a former Australian politician and rugby league footballer, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing Lang between 1953 and 1977 and subsequently Grayndler between 1977 and 1979 for the Australian Labor Party. During his term in...
, appointed a study group (chaired by Dr Allan Coles to report on the feasibility of establishing a sports institute in Australia. The Coles Report was released in 1975 and recommended the establishment of the institute.
Although the recommendation to establish the institute was made in 1975, it was not until 1981 that the institute was established. The delay in establishing the institute is commonly considered to be a combination of poor support for Australian sport following the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the uneasiness between the Australian Olympic Federation (now the Australian Olympic Committee
Australian Olympic Committee
The Australian Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee in Australia for the Olympic Games movement. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams, and raises funds to send Australian competitors to Olympic events organised by the International Olympic Committee .-Background:The...
) and the Government. This uneasiness was caused over the Federation ignoring the Government's request to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
because of Russia's invasion of Afghanistan.
The Bloomfield and Coles reports, however, were not lost on Bob Ellicott, the Minister for Home Affairs and Environment. Buoyed by the concept of a national sports institute during a trip to China and keen to bridge the gap between government and sport, in 1980 Ellicott and his staff offered the Coles Report as a model plan for Australia. The plan would allow athletes to train and develop in Australia rather than be forced overseas. Ellicott's vision was well received and on Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
, 26 January 1981, the AIS was officially opened by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
. Renowned swim coach, Don Talbot
Don Talbot
Don Talbot OBE is an Olympic swimming coach from Australia. He has coached national teams for Canada and Australia.-Canada:Since the 1950s Talbot has coached Olympic champions and World Record holders for a thirty year period...
was appointed as the Institute's first Director.
With the Institute established, the Commonwealth Government had begun its involvement in Australian sport.
In August 1987 the government formalised their decision to rationalise federal assistance to Australian sport and the AIS merged with the Australian Sports Commission, which was to be the agency responsible for general sports participation as well as high performance sport.
In 2010 the Hon. Warwick Smith AM was named Chairman of the Commission.
In 2011 Simon Hollingsworth
Simon Hollingsworth
Simon Hollingsworth competed both nationally and internationally for Australia in the 400 metres hurdles. He participated in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, as well as the Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships....
was named CEO of the Commission.
Structure
Minister for Sport (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Sport is Mark Arbib, who was appointed on 14 September 2010, following the Labor Party's win at the 2010 election. The ministry is located within the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio.-List of Ministers for Sport:...
. The ASC's roles and responsibilities are prescribed in the Australian Sports Commission Act 1989. In 2004/05 the Government portion of the ASC's budget was $A145.794m. In addition, the ASC generated an additional A$24.812M in revenue from corporate sources such as sponsorship, hire of facilities and interest, from external sources such as Government departments and agencies, and from national sporting organisations.
The ASC attempts to promote an effective national sports system that offers improved participation in quality sports by all Australians. In addition, the ASC helps those who are talented and motivated to reach their potential excellence in sports performance. The ASC achieves these objectives by administering and funding national sporting programs on behalf of the Government and providing leadership, co-ordination and support for the sport sector.
The ASC works closely with a range of national sporting organisations, state and local governments, schools and community organisations to ensure sport is well run and accessible so that everyone can participate and enjoy the benefits. The ASC supports participation in sport, from grass roots participation to participation at the elite level. The ASC deliverers it services through several divisions:
Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
(AIS) is the best-known division of the ASC. The AIS offers more than 700 scholarships to talented junior and senior athletes across 35 programs in 26 different sports. The institute also offers athletes access to expert coaching, world-leading sports science and sports medicine services, state-of-the-art sports facilities, and opportunities for travel, work and study.
Sport Performance and Development
The Sport Performance and Development division supports the improvement of Australian sport from the grassroots to high performance level, by providing national sporting organisations with access to advice and resources, including funding, policy development advice and management models, education, emerging information technologies and evaluation frameworks.The division delivers the following programs:
• National Talent Identification and Development
• National Coach and Athlete Career and Education
• National Coaching Accreditation Scheme
• National Officiating Accreditation Scheme
• Australian Sports Outreach Program (on behalf of AusAID the Australian Agency for International Development).
The Sport Performance and Development division also coordinates all of the ASC’s international relations activities.
Community sport
The Community Sport division works hand in hand with national sporting organisations, state and local governments, schools and community organisations to provide increased opportunities for Australians — from all backgrounds — to participate in inclusive and structured physical activities.The division works to achieve its objectives through:
• running programs aimed at getting children more active
• making sport more accessible for people with disabilities
• bringing more structured sport into Indigenous communities
• funding women to be involved in sport leadership
• providing free resources to help the development of community clubs.