ABSTRACT
In April 2001 the Howard Government launched its new sports policy. While the government’s ongoing commitment to sport is to be both praised and welcomed, its thrust is to encourage Australians to return to the club-based sport system rather than support them in undertaking unstructured physical activity. This is occurring at a time when the Australian population is ageing, participation levels in organised sport is falling, and public liability issues in sport are creating additional barriers to participation. While there is a concern that the BASA policy lacks a commitment to general fitness, and disenfranchises a host of unstructured and individual sporting activities such as walking, hiking, and fishing, it is clear that the Commonwealth Government’s commitment is financially generous, and supportive of sport in general.
