Fed: Govt sport commitment ironic in light of tourism knockback

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2001
Fed: Govt sport commitment ironic in light of tourism knockback

By Chris Herde

BRISBANE, April 24 AAP - The federal government should match its sports funding boost
with a similar injection of money to the tourism industry, tourism leaders said today.

The Australian Tourism Export Council managing director Peter Shelley said it was "ironic"

the sport and tourism portfolio should fund a $161.6 million boost to sport.

He said according to leaked cabinet documents yesterday, that the government knocked
back a request by the Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) for $10 million over three years
to fund a post Olympic Games marketing push.

"There's a significant need for tourism to capitalise on the most successful sporting
event we've had and we're not going to get that opportunity again," Mr Shelley said.

"It really seems to be a robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul exercise because you have to remember
the funding is coming from the same portfolio and so what's sacrificed?"

Today's funding injection over four years announced by Prime Minister John Howard brings
the government's total sports budget to $547 million, covering Olympic, Paralympic and
community participation programs.

It includes $408 million for a new Sport Excellence Program to replace the now-defunct
Olympic Athlete Program (OAP), which primed elite athletes for the Sydney Olympic Games.

Tourism Task Force managing director Christopher Brown said while sport profiled Australia
worldwide it was tourism which put "bums on seats".

"Sport is a great unifier, and is intrinsically linked with much tourism activity in
Australia, but tourism creates jobs, and it creates economic wealth," Mr Brown said in
a statement.

"Without additional funding for the ATC to make up for the low dollar impact on advertising
buying power, Australia can wave goodbye to the $15 billion each year it generates in
exports."

AAP ch/jhm/hu/de

KEYWORD: FUNDING TOURISM

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