The Australian government’s commitment to keeping primary school children physically active was highlighted last week during a visit by the prime minister Kevin Rudd and sports minister Don Farrell to Flagstaff Hill Primary School in Adelaide.
Mr Rudd and Senator Farrell visited the federal government’s Active After-school Communities program, which has run at Flagstaff Hill Primary since 2008.
‘At the last federal budget, the government confirmed funding of 39.4 million dollars to continue the Active After-school Communities program until the end of the 2014,’ said Senator Farrell. ‘This is a clear indication of the Australian government’s support for the AASC and testament to the commitment we have to building an active Australia.
‘I’m very proud of the contribution of the AASC program in continuing to support and strengthen community cohesion and development, particularly in communities where there would otherwise be very little opportunity to engage in sport.
‘This is an important program in terms of offering opportunities across a broad range of geographical locations to engage a diverse group of children.
‘It is a great privilege for me to visit to places like Flagstaff Hill Primary to see this important program in action.
‘It is extremely rewarding to see so many children participating in healthy activities but most importantly it is great to see children having so much fun participating in sport and physical activity.’
The AASC program is currently being delivered at more than 3,250 sites across Australia with more than 190,000 children participating in the program each semester.
A total of 52 per cent of all sites operating the program are in regional or remote areas, providing important access to opportunities throughout the nation.
Additionally, 13 per cent of the sites delivering the program involved Indigenous children, with seven per cent of all sites located in Indigenous communities.
For more information visit ausport.gov.au/participating/aasc.
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