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Sport Issues

Sport and recreation activities should be fun, safe and inclusive for players, officials and spectators. The Victorian Government supports a number of initiatives to address issues such as spectator behaviour and drugs in sport, and encourage high standards of behaviour.

Spectator Behaviour

Poor spectator behaviour in local organised sport is an important issue in the community.

Poor spectator behaviour can reduce particpation in sport and lead to individuals, clubs and communities missing out on the benefits of being involved in sport. The Victorian Government, in conjunction with VicSport, is working with sport organisations to reduce the incidence of poor behaviour in community sport.

The Victorian Goverment, with support from the Australian Sports Commission, funded LaTrobe and Victoria Universities to look into spectator behaviour in community sport. Their final report, Research into Spectator Behaviour - March 2005 (PDF 499kb), indicates that:

• spectator behaviour for the majority of sports is not a significant problem
• team based sports where physical contact may occur are more likely to experience poor spectator behaviour
• verbal abuse is the most prevalent form of poor spectator behaviour
• general supporters and parents/guardians are more likely than other spectators to be the perpetrators of poor spectator behaviour
• perceptions relating to the standard and quality of officiating has a significant impact
• there is confusion as to who is responsible for managing poor spectator behaviour

The Victorian Government also funded VicSport to research and prepare the Spectator Behaviour Project - Legal Jurisdiction Paper (PDF 285kb) that discusses ways sports can bring spectator behaviour within their jurisdiction.

The findings and recommendations of the reports are currently being considered by the State Sporting Associations (SSAs). VicSport is facilitating a consultation process and will prepare an industry response to the reports based on the SSAs' comments.

Sport and Recreation Victoria is awaiting the industry response and has not endorsed any of the report’s findings or recommendations.

Ethical Framework

The community consultations for the development of the Ministerial Statement: A Focus on Community Sport and Recreation (PDF 841kb) highlighted that there needs to be high standards of behaviour in sport and recreation.

Economic activity, healthier communities, individual self-development, community interaction and pride are some of the benefits produced by a strong sport and recreation sector. For such benefits to be achieved, sport and recreation has to be - and be seen to be - honest, fair and accessible. Sport and Recreation Victoria is developing a clear and simple ethical framework which can be adopted by all sectors of the industry.

Philanthropy and sport

The regional community consultations for the development of the Ministerial Statement: A Focus on Community Sport and Recreation (PDF 841kb) highlighted the concern that local sport and recreation is not accessing the benefits of philanthropy.

Due to the current taxation system, donations to community sport and recreation organisations are not tax deductible and so opportunities for accessing philanthropic 'giving' are reduced.

To encourage broader debate on this topic SRV worked with the Asia Pacific Centre for Philanthropy and Social Investment at Swinburne University to conduct a conference on philanthropic activity in community sport.

“A Fair Go For Community Sport and Recreation” was held on 7 October 2005, and was attended by representatives from state sport associations, state, local and federal governments, philanthropic, community, regional and rural organisations, legal and taxation experts and traditional recipients of charitable donations.

The outcome of the Conference was a communiqué calling on the Federal Government to reconsider the taxation status of sport and recreation organisations, and to provide them with deductible gift recipient status (DGR).

Richard Baldwin presented one of the keynote addresses. Mr Baldwin recently retired from Deloitte and Touche UK, where he was a senior tax partner with 25 years of experience in sport taxation. Richard was a leading member of a Government chaired working group which was instrumental in achieving significant changes to the UK tax laws.


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