PRIME MINISTER
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
SPEC BY THE PRIME NINISTER, TIE NOWI P J KEATINIG NP
WON= E IN SPORT
SYDNEY 18 FEBRUARY 1993
it is my great pleasure to be here again.
There's no escaping it if you hold events in election
time, you run the risk of a political speech.
I could spare you from this, and tell you everything I
know about Australian sportswomen.
This would take a little longer than the five minutes I
have been allotted; not because I'm expert, but because
the great traditions of Australian sportswomen go back a
long way.
This year, of course, the tradition has been added to,
particularly in Barcelona and partCicuiarly by Kathy watt
who is our quest of honour tonight.-
By contrast with our women's sporting traditions,
Dr Hewoon's Goods and Services Tax has had a very short
life: in fact, it is my sincere hope that it has no life
at all. Anyway, I have long felt that Australians
particularly Australian sportspeople are tired of
politicians pretending to be expert in sport.
So I'm not going to let you escape.
And just as there is no escaping politics, T might say
that there is no escaping the consequences for sport of
my opponent's policies.
This gathering tonight is a great illustration of how far
women's sport has progressed in Australia.
The Government is proud of the assistance we have been
able to provide through the huge increase in funding in
recent years, and through the work of the AIS and the
Australian Sports Commission.
But of course the Government is not the lifeblood of
Australian women's sport women are, and the voluntary
o rwaisations are. 6471 1 1
I have to remind you that my opponent promiises to cut S7
million out of the Australian Sports Commission budget;
and to introduce a Goods and Services Tax that will make
it more difficult f~~ tpriia. asul voluntkary
organisations to function.
Sport is a perfect illustration of how the GST will
change the Australian lifestyle.-
All sporting organizations will be hit by the GST and, as
very few of them pay payroll tax, there is not even the
partial compensation which some other bodies will get.
There will be a 15 per cent tax on entry and registration
fees for competition, on admission charges, on air
travel, on basic services, on accommodation and on
uniforms. Sports equipment costs will rise, so will the cost of
remedial treatment. So will the cost of all health care,
of course.
The GST will apply to coaching courses. The price of
swimming lessons for instance.
I recently saw a letter from Forbes Carlisle in which he
pointed out that, with a GST, privately run swim centres
would lose both customers and income, and governments
would be forced to spend millions of dollars if the
public's needs were to be met.
He wrote, " Now with the prospect of 15 per cent added to
fees, many parents will be forced to drop out... There
is no doubt that a GST will result in many less pupils
and fewer children learning to swim..."
He goes on to say that * It is certain that sports club
memberships would be reduced so again the community would
suffer by the imposition of this tax.'
Sponsors wi 11 be hit by the GST. Sponsored sports
will7 receive 15 per cent less or the sponsor will have to
be asked for extra to maintain the level of funding.
Some sponsors will get rebates, but banks, building
societies and other financial institutions will not.
Sports clubs will not only have to wear the tax in dollar
terms, but in the extra time it takes to be a tax
collector and an accountant.
As I have said over the past twelve months and as I keep
saying in this election campaign, the goods and services
tax will change the lifestyle of Australia.
I happen to believe that it is a completely unnecessary
and grossly unfair tax. You don't have to agree with me
on that, but I urge you to give careful consideration to
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the consequences for your own lives and professions
before you give it your approval.
In the last twelve months, Australian women ' s spowt has
thrived. many of the now or expanded programs at the AIS
and the Sports Commission have been in women's sport, and--
the participation of Australian women in sport in the
community continues to grow.
I thinkc our approach to sport should be guided by the
same principle of fairness and equality which leads us to
consider such things as education, health or social
security as an Australian birthright. The opportunity
should exist for all Australian women to participate at
the most basic or the highest levels.
And I think it w ould be a great pity if the great
progress we have made in the last few years, and the
institutions and mechanisms we have established, should
be undermined.
It remains for me to congratulate the sponsors, the
Sports Commission's Women in Sport Unit, the judge. and
of course, my colleague the minister, Ros Kelly, for
their efforts to develop these awards.
There is no doubt that they play a vital role in
encouraging the goals of excellence and participation,
not just in sport, but by their example, in other areas
of Australian life.
Thank you for having me along. 63473