The Toad Hall Standpoint

I cannot understand the underlying logic supposedly underlying the allocation of funds to the various sporting associations by the Government via the Australian Sports Commission, that were announced yesterday (22/5/2013).

The sports who demonstrated their previous programs were well organised and effective, as per the results they achieved at the 2012 Olympics, thus demonstrating that their previous funding was sufficient to achieve results, were given more.

While those who were struggling to obtain the results they had attained previously at the Olympics, whether the cause be misdirected funding or lack of it to attain their goals, were given less.

Am I stupid, or shouldn’t it be the other way about…..those who are doing well do not need any further assistance while those who are struggling, for whatever reason, require the increase.

Fundamentally though, the counting of medals, should not be the criteria used to assess which sport needs how much money to improve its performances.  Success in the Olympics or C’wealth Games is just one element of a successful sporting organisation.

There has to be a more knowledgeable review panel, devoid of officials & politicians, conducting these assessments as to how effectively is the substantial largesse granted to each sport being used.

Actually the whole elitist approach is out of whack !  Much more attention should be paid at grass-root levels, especially for children in their early teens, so that they are encouraged to continue their natural attraction to sports and competitions displayed, with the full encouragement of their parents, when they are in the cute pre-teen age of their lives.

It is during the early teens that they need the most assistance, and the access to adequate facilities/competitions.  Consequently, sports should be assessed on what they are doing within their ranks over the entire range of participation — infants, early teens, late teens, juniors, seniors, masters & veterens, but, in particular. for the teenagers (during which time most of their future lifestyles are formed, if not decided).

I have often heard officials, and politicians, say success at the elite level “will inspire” the youngsters to follow in their footsteps and take up the particular sport.  Mainly this is nonsense.  There is no doubt sporting heroes do motivate us all but, unless there is easy access to the facilities, training, coaching and competition by the kids who have been “inspired”, then inspiration quickly lapses into apathy.

Sports do need officials and leadership, and often the people who fill these needs are not given the recognition they deserve.  But often the next level of the sport’s administration are inept.  It becomes bureaucratic with too many chiefs and not enough indians.  There are, by far, too many ‘perks’ for the ‘top brass’ of the sporting world, such as huge salaries/’honorariums’, with inmumerable overseas trips.

There are many needs for money to be spent at the grass roots level of most sports in Australia….and those at the perceived upper levels get it far too easily when frankly, they do not need any more assistance.  Athletes and swimmers travelling the world with their individual coaches at the taxpayers expense just should not be on…if they want their coaches with them let them pay out their own pockets.

Hopefully, a major political party in the not-too-distant future will have the courage to break the nexus ….. but don’t hold your breath.

A few months ago I challenged the State Government to categorically guarantee they will be able to provide the finance needed to stage the 2018 Commonwealth Games here in the Gold Coast.

At that stage they were seemingly procrastinating as to whether they would be upgrading the Southport aquatic centre in time to stage the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, and later the 2018 Games, or whether they would spend much less money modernising the Chandler Complex in Brisbane for the two events.

A decision in favour of Chandler would have cast great doubts as to the Government’s intentions re the C’wealth Games.  But they didn’t, and to their credit they even went further than necessary in virtually rebuilding Southport for a budget of $43 million rather than partly using the older existing buildings/pools, as was originally planned, for a much lower cost ($21.11 million).

Even so, to be now talking about the total costs for the 2018 Games to now being $2.4 billion, as Minister Jann Stuckey did recently, has to be either a gross overspend or a deliberate exageration.

If it is the former then I suspect the government is building a case against “spending any more taxpayers’ money to stage the Games when the government is cutting back in so many other areas” case in order to be able to walk away from their Games commitment whenever it is politically prudent to do so.

Perhaps the $2.4 billion alleged cost claim is merely a political ploy to get more money from the Federal government.  If it is, then I believe it is doomed to failure in these tough economic times, especially with a Federal election due in September.

I would go further and judge that, unless they get a publicly-announced fixed commitment from both major parties in the lead-up to the federal election, then there will be little hope of later obtaining the shortfall they are seeking from an incoming  government whichever party wins in September.  There will simply be too many commitments for the disabled, education, health and the financing of other electoral promises together with the capping or reduction of taxes such as the mining & carbon taxes as promised during the respective campaigns, for there to be a lazy billion dollars sitting around to subsidise Queensland’s staging of the Games, especially during 2014/15/16 when the major capital expenditure needs to be spent for the necessary capital facilities to be built.  Any later consideration, if the national economy improved, will be too late for these necessary competition venues to be constructed.

The biggest cost element of any Games nowadays is usually the village (although normally a profit can eventually be made by the on-selling of the apartments after the Games have been completed).  The original budget for 2018, projects the village costing $400 milliion, from the $572 million total estimate for all capital expenditure (a further $670.7 was set aside for “operational expenses with over 50% of this expected to be spent during the actual staging of the Games in 2017/18).

A part of this expense is the upgrading of the Belmont Shooting Centre in Brisbane, as is an estimated $22.06 million for a new Track Cycling Velodrome.  This is also to be located in Brisbane as we did not want it sited on the Gold Coast due to the substantial costs of operation post-Games.  Brisbane has more hope of making it work. As well, there were renovations planned for the convention centres in both Cairns & Townsville, amounting to $1 million or so each for early rounds of the basketball.  But other than this, all the venues were to be either converted or newly erected buildings, and to be located on the Gold Coast within 10 kilometres of the Village.

It is the cost of these buildings that remain very much in doubt with the Gold Coast Council refusing to cough up an additional $100 million cash on top of their continuing commitment, amounting to a further $100 million in all, for “in-kind” support.

Another crucial decision that needs to be made shortly is as to whether the AFL vacate their stadium at Carrara for the entire 2017 and most of their 2018 seasons, for the building of the competition tracks (one in the main stadium, one outside it as a warm-up area),  If they honour their agreement, the Suns will need to to play all their home matches elswhere, just when they would be needing to consolidate a consistent competitive team if they are to attract sufficient numbers of their home supporters after their rocky start. No doubt the team’s results will continue to improve but only the greatest optimist could expect them to be really competitive until 2016, the year before they stand destined to lose their home stadium.  It could well spell the death-knell for the team.

Certainly it will set back the local support which has been growing steadily with their successes on the field, and force the club to almost start all over again once the Games are over , the track removed, and the ground surface, currently one of the best in the competition, will then need  to be returned to normal.

If the Track & Field was shifted from the stadium (these events only attract medium crowds), then it can be used for the Opening ceremony only (this draws the largest crowd), the GC “Suns” would only lose one or two home games and none during season 2017.  Besides this, the Gold Coast community would gain the use of an athletic complex with two tracks on a permanent basis (a warm-up track would need to be built as well).

As a consequence this would reduce the costs as forecast as the same amount of building can occur, and the AFL continue their competitions with little effect. 

However, underlying all of this, there is the fundamental question which the Gold Coast, as a community, needs to have answered: Who is going to pay how much, when, and what for ?  The current commitments are about $1 billion short on the Minister’s own estimates.  Before anything else is started, let’s get this basic information into the public so we all know if the Games are going to occur, on the Gold Coast, in 2018 or not? 

I notice the Mayor is excusing the budget deficits created in the first year of his term as “the fault of the previous Council with its expenditure on Metricom stadium, the Rapid Transit system and the Commonwealth Games (GCB 20/4/2013)”….yet a further indication of his misunderstanding in regard to the values and the legacies inherent to the Gold Coast residents if we manage to actually stage the event in 2018.  Fingers crossed !  

This was the Media Statement, issued last Friday, from the State Government.  One wonders how genuine this assurance is when, just 4 days ago, she stated there wasn’t any certainty that some of the “recommended venues” from the Bid Book will actually be constructed here on the Coast.  When challenged she continued to take this same line until Presto! the statement was issued saying of this conjecture is misplaced and yes, the Bid Book will be followed.

But the comment that followed floored me.  On TV the Minister then went on to chastise all of us who had challenged her to confirm that this was their intention.  “Stop knocking the Games” was her message.  Jann none of us were “knocking the Games”.  On the contrary, it was our concern that you & your government were undervaluing the role Gold Coast residents & the Council, played in winning the Bid in the first place.

We have received your re-assurance, and all we can do is to take it at face value that you & your colleagues will stick to it.  But be assured, we’re all watching.