ABSTRACT
Most studies of Australian sport development state that Commonwealth Government sport policy was not a serious issue until 1972, when the Whitlam reformist Government was elected with a mandate to change both the economic and social conditions of Australian society (Adair and Vamplew, 1997; Booth and Tatz, 2000; Cashman, 1995; Houlihan, 1997; Mckay, 1991; Shilbury and Deane, 2001). While there is some truth in this statement, there is also evidence that the Commonwealth Government provided intermittent, if limited, support for sport since 1920.
