NEWELL HIGHWAY DIVIDE: CITY OF GREAT SPORTS NEEDS A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

The recently announced Western Region Sport and Active Recreation Transport Program is a most welcome support package for rural, regional and remote local community organisations to help them travel to and participate in sport.

 

This program subsidises the cost of fuel, bus hire or other public transport and is a truly worthy endeavour.

 

Applications for this program have been from the 30th of January 2023 and will be trialled for the next two years.

The eligible groups to apply include: 

  • sporting teams, clubs, and associations (junior and senior) 

  • active recreation clubs and/or associations (junior and senior) 

  • not-for-profit organisations providing sport and active recreation 

  • schools located in an eligible area.

And also as for eligibility criteria:

  • travelling to a regular competition recognised by the state or controlling body or training for an individual selected in representative side

  • a journey of over 100 kilometres in one trip

  • the organisations/ and its participants must be located in a Western Region Transport Program area of NSW.

However, rural, regional and remote community organisations from anywhere east of the Newell Highway are not eligible to take up this offer from the State Government.

 

Wagga Wagga is the city of great sports and our community knows it. We have a number of junior competitions in rugby, touch football, swimming, tennis and a number of other sporting codes. The best of these teams do travel for regular competitions over 100kms to other areas both East and West of the Newell Highway.

 

I call upon Minister Faraway to extend the eligibility criteria East, just slightly, to include Wagga Wagga and the greater Riverina region.

 

The ball is in your court Minister, you don’t want to have dropped it?

Joe McGirr Office