It has been twenty-one years since a dedicated review was undertaken of country sport and recreation in Western Australia. In that period there has been rapid change across Western Australia's social, economic and environmental contexts.
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This review is both timely and urgent. A formal review of the Department of Sport and Recreation's Regional Service was undertaken in 2000 and a review of country sport was undertaken in 1987.1 However, much has changed in the setting in which sport and recreation are being delivered in regional communities over the past decade.
Much needs to change in the way sport and recreation are delivered into the future if they are to be sustainable and remain a central part of our Western Australian lifestyle.
Great care is needed when undertaking a review such as this in a jurisdiction the size of Western Australia. Consider the profound differences in everyday life in a remote community in the State's far North Kimberley region, in a rural Wheatbelt town, and in the rapidly growing coastal urban centre of Mandurah. The common thread is the central role sport and recreation play in participation and involvement in the Western Australian lifestyle.
Context
It is important to put into context the environment in which sport and recreation is currently being planned and delivered in regional WA. Set out below is snapshot of these changes:
The Western Australian economy has been exceptionally strong in recent years having grown from $75b in 2001/02 to $184b in 2008/09.2
In these robust economic times there needs to be evidence of a long term and lasting community dividend to regional communities. Much of the economic activity that has caused these very positive economic times is based in and comes out of regional communities.
There is a range of impacts arising from the strength of the Western Australian economy, including:
- Construction costs have escalated rapidly in recent years (Building Cost Index figures in Perth have been of 11% (‘07), 12 % ('06), 7.8% ('05) and 15.2% ('04) over the past four years - source: Department of Housing & Works) and significant delays in development schedules are prevalent across the State. Variations (i.e. higher escalations) would have occurred on the BCI figures in parts of regional WA. Further, sourcing construction contractors to tender for projects remains an ongoing challenge in many regions, especially in the northern regions.
- Labor shortages are being experienced across the State with particular difficulties evident in attracting workforces to regional and remote areas. This issue is a key strategic issue for most industries and professions, e.g. mining, teaching, health, local government, etc.
- Local government representatives at forums convened in undertaking this review reported staff turnovers of over 30% per annum.
- Industrial practices and employment trends have substantially evolved in recent years. Fly-in/ Fly-out (FIFO), 12-hour shift patterns and increased participation rates for females are examples of the shifting workforce dynamic.
The state with the largest increase in labour prices through the year to December 2007 was Western Australia (5.9%). The national average was 4.2%.3
Footnotes
1 Country Sport Report. (1987). Perth: Western Australian Sports Council: Country Sport Committee.
2 Ripper, E. (2008). Presentation on 2008/09 State Budget. Perth: WA State Parliament.
3 Labour Price Index (cat.no. 6345.0). (2007). Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.
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