Inaugural Queensland Sports Collective forum held in Brisbane

The state’s first Queensland Sports Collective forum is being held in Brisbane today, bringing together more than 100 delegates from the world of sport, including netball, tennis, AFL, cricket, hockey, rugby league and basketball.

Minister for Sport Mick de Brenni, who officially opened the forum, said the event is geared towards encouraging open and honest discussions about how to improve sports outcomes for all Queenslanders. 

“This forum is about the future of all sports in Queensland and I’m grateful that so many from across the industry have come together to focus on this,” Mr de Brenni said.

“In Queensland 63% of adults participate in some form of physical activity at least once a week, and sport and recreation continues to be a huge economic driver that delivers for our state. 

“Since January 2015 the Palaszczuk Government has invested $270 million into the sector and in 2017-18 sport and recreation contributed $2.47 billion to Queensland’s economy and employed over 22,000 people.

“Sport brings our communities together, especially in times of need. That’s why a big part of today’s discussion will be around how our upcoming Queensland Sport and Active Recreation strategy can directly address key areas of concern in our communities; helping people maintain a healthy body weight, reducing crime and suicide rates, creating more jobs, and breaking down barriers to participation by promoting equality and inclusion. 

“It’s also about looking very closely at more coordinated and targeted investment approaches to sports funding to strengthen governance across all codes and enhance integrity in the industry.

“It’s effectively a shake-up of the way government and industry partners can work more closely together to unleash the benefits of sport to make a real difference.

“As Minister for Sport, what matters to me is that people get active in a way that suits them and in a way that makes them more likely to continue being active in the future.

“Encouraging more Queenslanders to get involved in sport and get active will provide opportunities for better life outcomes and more productive, strong communities, whether its in cities or the remote communities throughout Queensland. 

Mr de Brenni praised Netball Queensland for organising the inaugural forum and called for it to become an annual fixture on the sport and recreation calendar.

The new 10-year Queensland Sport and Active Recreation Strategy will be released in mid 2019.

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