ABSTRACT
In 1996 the Liberal Party led by John Howard regained government after 13 years in the political wilderness. During that time sport had been transformed from a mainly dispersed recreational activity managed by volunteer officials and underpinned by the amateur ideal, into a coordinated, commercialised, and often professionally managed system of highly structured and competitive leisure activities. Moreover, the Commonwealth Government had taken on a national leadership role, and set the agenda for sport development. The Keating Government’s election policy on sport, which was titled Sporting Partnerships, documented many of its achievements as well as its future programme. Sporting Partnerships modestly claimed that its support for athletes and sporting organisations over 13 years had ‘delivered great benefits to the country’, produced more participants than ever before and enabled Australian athletes to ‘enjoy great international success’ (Australian Labor Party, 1996: 3). Its election policy statement also highlighted the recent establishment of the National Elite Sports Council, comprising representatives from the AIS and state sport institutes and academies. It was established to coordinate elite sport activities across the nation, and link Commonwealth Government funding to state-sponsored programmes. To this end more than AUS$20 million was paid directly to state academies to assist in the preparation of athletes for the Sydney Games. The Keating Government’s support for elite sport was vindicated by outstanding performances at the 1995 World Cycling Championships and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Sporting Partnerships also confirmed the Labor party’s commitment to nationwide assistance that gave special recognition to community level sport, women as well as men, people with disabilities, the indigenous, and both young and older people.
