AUSTRALIAN SPORT’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATION

Australian sport provides significant health, educational, social and economic benefits to our nation. Sport plays a key developmental role in the lives of many young Australians and has unquestionable health benefits for all Australians. CAS believes that the Governments of Australia at all levels have an opportunity to optimise the benefits and role of sport in the lives of Australian citizens and can and should provide much greater recognition of and resources to support sport and active recreation.

Research conducted by the Confederation of Australian Sport and by the Australian Sports Commission over the past 5 years clearly show the enormous contribution that sport makes to the nation in many ways.

•  Fourteen million Australians participate in sport annually, 1.8 million volunteer 158 million hours each year and 220,000 are employed across the sector.
• The sport industry generates an estimated $83 billion in combined economic, health and educational benefits each year with a return over 17:1 on Government investment. This represents 3% of the nation’s DGP.
• The research highlights the broader benefits that sport and physical activity makes to individuals from a preventative health perspective and in contributing to positive attitudes and mental wellbeing
• Australian Sport is uniquely placed to reduce the unsustainably high levels of obesity and overweight and current provides over 50% of all Moderate and Vigorous Physical Activity undertaken by the population.
• Partner research with Deakin Health Economics shows that if Physical Inactivity was reduced by 15% over 5 years there would be a $434m saving in health costs, 3,000 prevented deaths, 10,000 new cases of disease avoided and 3.3m Australians achieving the Government’s Physical Activity Guidelines.

Since 2014 CAS has worked to develop a cross-sector collaboration of leading organisations from Health, Education and Sport sectors. CAS believes that Sport can be a powerful contributor in achieving longstanding preventative health objectives of the Australian Government if provided with sufficient resources and opportunity over a realistic timeframe.

The underpinning CAS research reports and cross-sector submissions to government can be reviewed in the Advocacy section of this site.