Sport and Recreation

"Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Swifter, Higher, Stronger)

Sport is deeply embedded in the Australian way of life and plays an important role in our national conscience. Many national teams were established well before the political foundations of the Federation were laid.

Our athletes, swimmers, cyclists and other famous players made our country known throughout the world. Despite our remote geographical location and relatively short sporting history we hosted 2 Olympic Games and won hundreds of medals. At the Athens Olympic games we were third in the world (medals per capita) and well ahead of most other established sporting nations such US, UK, Germany, France, Russia, etc.

Sport is an excellent tool for promoting physical fitness and healthy lifestyle which is used successfully to combat obesity and other worrying medical and social conditions.

While we’re excited about our sporting success and potential we are also focussed on achieving a healthy balance between sport and other more serious pursuits such as education, industrial growth, productivity, family, culture, intellectual excellence, health care, environment, etc.

Like many other aspects of life, sport also has many serious problems which need cardinal solutions right now. Gambling, violence, alcohol and drug use are just a few areas which we’ll target immediately before it’s too late.

We shall also continue and strengthen our proud traditions by:

• Participating in the Olympic movement by training and sending many teams to compete in championships, games and other events.
   
• Build new sport and entertainment venues aimed at encouraging healthy lifestyle and recreation
   
• Encouraging and supporting environmentally responsible sports that improve our fitness, have minimal impact on nature and produce little or no pollution. A myriad of popular sports like soccer, tennis, golf, cricket, athletics, cycling, rowing, swimming, sailing, surfing, wind& kite surfing, skiing, rock-climbing, mountaineering, basketball, skating, triathlon, hang-gliding, volleyball, diving, etc. shall benefit from increased interest, funding and recognition.
   
• In line with our pledge to protect the environment we shall no longer support motor sports that utilize combustion engines and produce much noise and other harmful emissions. While we’ll be very happy to promote competitions like the Solar race (Darwin to Adelaide) or Sydney Hobart yacht race, many other races and events may have to review their emissions and technology before applying for any assistance or permits. Running the Australian motorcycle GP on electric scooters or bikes may seem a bit ridiculous today, but it may become a reality much sooner than many of us think...
   
• We are deeply committed to pay our respect to nature and sport is no exception. Just like us (humans), animals are born to live free and not to be used for racing, sport or entertainment. The primary objective of sport is to keep us fit and for this purpose we need no other animals to make us a company. Animal sports like horse-racing, camel-racing, greyhound racing, fishing, hunting, rodeo, bullfighting, etc. are obsolete relics of the past which cause a lot of pain and suffering to living creatures not much different than us. No animal or fish is a match for our super modern hunting rifles or fishing gear, and killing them for sport or pleasure is cruel and inhumane. Behind the glamorous side of horse-racing are hidden many facts that shall make many of us think twice: Why are injured horses almost always shot? Do they love to be whipped and kicked in order to run? Do they know that behind every cup winner is a queue of 20 000 others running on a one way trip to the slaughter house every year? How would you feel if your sporting career turns you in a dog food instead of celebrity? The same cruel morals apply to other popular animal sports which we have no intention to support or fear to criticize.   We have no shortage of entertainment and our fashion designers won’t go out of business if one day the Melbourne cup is run without horses.
   
• Boxing has been a controversial sport for many decades and now there is a mountain of overwhelming evidence that it is cruel, harmful and deadly. Besides its highly questionable values, ethics and morals, it inflicts serious and at times fatal injuries which we can’t justify or tolerate. Constant exposure to blows leads not only to cuts and bruises, but serious brain damage, internal bleeding, broken ribs, extensive dental work, stitches and sometimes death.
  We have no intention to put up with such carnage any more and shall ban professional boxing ASAP. Other developed countries banned boxing decades ago and their sports fame didn’t suffer any harm (e.g. Norway is the best-achieving Olympic nation).
   
• We shall strive to improve the image of some of our most popular games – rugby and AFL. It is no secret that they often promote aggression and poor social attitudes resulting in violent clashes as well as verbal, physical and substance abuse. Many of our elite players are poor role models tarnishing the moral values of sportsmanship and fair competition.
  We shall ensure that all leagues and other associations put enough effort in teaching their teams some good old sports ethics and manners well before they are allowed to kick the ball. These new ethics shall be embedded into strict new rules and codes outlawing the current guerrilla warfare. Our stadiums shall make and entertain gentlemen, not gladiators or hooligans.

Gambling

Like alcohol and drugs, gambling is one of the simplest thrills some people try in order to forget their dull lives. For them the lure of easy, instant money is much stronger than any other instinct or knowledge. Gambling is also a classic form of money laundering and vital activity for the underworld society.

Sadly, now we are amongst the biggest gamblers in the world. Gambling accounts for more than 3% of our disposable household budget and the industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. Every year we lose in excess of 11 billion dollars – about $760 per capita.

Unlike other forms of pastime gambling does not provide any social, ethical, cultural or other benefits. Very few can compare the ticking of the poker machine with a concert, movie or any other show. Likewise, gambling is usually targeted on less-educated and younger people, who are still short of higher entertainment criteria.

Like many other instincts, gambling is part of our nature - if enjoyed within limits it should not cause much harm. It is a highly profitable business and important source of revenue for many governments. Gamblers spend (lose) their money in effort to win, and often learn some practical economics – usually the hard way. The problem is that more people every year are becoming addicted and this frequently results in total financial ruin for them and their families alike. While both the gambling industry and the current governments are claiming to take some care of the “losers”, less than 1 % of the revenue is earmarked for problem gambling related services.

We believe the growth of the gambling industry would be checked by the following measures:

• Better disclosure of the price of playing gaming machines and the likelihood of receiving high paying winning combinations. Relevant information should be provided to consumers about the nature of games, such as the fact that machine wins and losses are independent of past results.
   
• The design of new poker machines shall incorporate compulsory features for minimisation of their hazards for problem gambling, without overly affecting recreational gamblers.
   
• All gamblers shall be provided with personal (after presenting proper identification) tax invoices and records of their spending.
   
• The use of cash shall be restricted to “cheap” machines (such as 5 cent and similar) All other machines and games shall be limited to EFTPOS (credit cards shall be excluded!) with restrictions on withdrawal amounts and multiple withdrawals.
   
• Mandatory rather than voluntary codes of conduct will provide better customer protection and ensure responsible provision of gambling by venues. Such legislatively based code will guarantee appropriate standards of advertising, promotion and marketing of gambling.
   
• The number of gambling machines and venues shall be reduced and reasonable limits shall be enforced nation-wide. Gambling business licences shall be issued for short periods (1 to 2 years) and their renewal shall be subject to community acceptance. In areas where adverse effects are experienced local authorities shall be empowered to refuse renewal of such licences.