Source : ABC NEWS
Two Australian-first programs aimed at gender equality in sport have been cut after the release of Victoria’s State Budget this week.
The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) and the Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants Program were both axed in Treasurer Jaclyn Symes’s first budget.
OWSR administered the Change Our Game Program, which aimed at increasing the participation, leadership and visibility of women and girls in sport and active recreation.
The Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants Program supported Victorian community sport and recreation in addressing gender-based violence, including family violence, sexual violence, and other forms of violence against women.
It supported organisations to design and deliver primary prevention activities within community sport settings through grants and funding.
The cuts were announced at a Sport and Experience Economy meeting on Wednesday where the secretary acknowledged that some of the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions lapsing programs would not receive further funding and thus conclude over the coming months.
A spokesperson said the Victorian government “will always support women and girls’ participation in sport and recreation”.
“The functions of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation will continue to be held within Sport and Recreation Victoria,” they said.
The state budget was handed down on Tuesday with a focus on the cost of living and families, which promises a $600 million surplus for the first time since the pandemic.
It placed thousands of public sector jobs on the chopping block as the government aims to save $3.3 billion.
The exact number of jobs to go and which ones they will be have not been identified.
The violence prevention program had been running for three years, while OWSR was the first dedicated office in Australia aimed at improving gender equality in sport.
Ahead of its eighth year this year, the program had funded 580 grants to the value of more than $2.9 million to community sport and active recreation clubs and organisations across Victoria.
This was across a wide range of sports, including basketball, cycling, hockey, surfing and volleyball.
The program also facilitated the Fair Access Policy Roadmap, an Australia‑first policy that aimed to give women and girls fairer access to community sports infrastructure, by supporting Victorian local councils to develop locally relevant gender equitable access.
This aimed to tackle the widespread inequitable access to resources and facilities, as reported by the ABC.
The Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence has been contacted for comment.
Marnie Vinall was a graduate of the Making the Call program that became the Change our Game sports broadcasting program.
