Change Our Game - It's time for fair access
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the draft documents. The Fair Access in Sport Policy and Action Plan were adopted by Council on Monday 25 November 2024.
To view the minutes from 25 November Council Meeting, go to Council's website and refer to Item 4.2 in the minutes.
Community engagement
From 26 July to 19 September 2024, we asked the community to share their thoughts on the draft Fair Access in Sport Policy and Action Plan.
37 people provided feedback through an online survey, online workshops and letters directly to the Healthy and Active Communities Team.
The Active Banyule findings report was also used to inform the Fair Access in Sport Policy and Action Plan.
Take a look below at a summary of what we heard.
What we heard
- Participants were asked if they supported the Draft Fair Access in Sport Policy and Action Plan and had the opportunity to provide feedback. Overall, there was broad support for the Policy and Action Plan and the key principles which focus on access and inclusion to sports infrastructure and sports participation.
Community feedback has been grouped into themes, and where feasible, has been included in the final Policy and Action Plan.
Summary of feedback
Community feedback | Response to feedback | |||
| What about girls with a disability? | The policy
is designed to improve physical spaces to support women and girls with
disability to engage in sports and programs. This is addressed in the action below: Action 2.5: Continue to deliver the Abilities Unleashed Programs that deliver come and try sport and recreation days to promote pathways for people with disability. The new Active Banyule Plan will also include objectives that focus on disability and programs that foster inclusion through sporting clubs. | |||
| Why are girls dropping out? How can we keep them engaged? | The action plan identifies that we need ongoing engagement to understand the barriers. This is addressed in the action below: Action 3.4: Community sporting organisations will collate and provide Council with gendered data to better understand the barriers to sports participation. | |||
| Importance of inclusive access to both competition and unstructured sport. | This Policy focuses on sport and recreation;
however, any physical activity is important for health and wellbeing. Trialling
activities can often lead to an increase in regular sports participation.
This is addressed in the action below: Action 2.1: Collaborate with community sporting organisations, commercial operators, and other providers to increase the availability of competitive and non-competitive inclusive sports and recreation activities. Schedule these activities and events during significant days. This will also be addressed in the new Active Banyule Sport and Recreation Plan. | |||
| Gender and sexual identities in sport participation - issues and impacts. | Several comments were received regarding the inclusion of gender-diverse individuals, specifically transgender people, in the policy. While these perspectives are acknowledged, Council remains committed to removing barriers to inclusion based on identity. The Action Plan includes initiatives to build club capacity through education and training, such as the Rainbow Ready program, aimed at fostering community acceptance and promoting equity practices. | |||
| Concerns about transgender participation in competitions not being fair or negatively impacting girls and women’s teams. | Decisions regarding equality in sports participation and competition rules, including transgender participation, fall under the jurisdiction of the respective leagues and sports associations. These governing bodies establish practices in line with State and Federal legislation, such as the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, to ensure fair and inclusive participation. It is not within Council’s role, nor within the scope of this policy and action plan, to determine eligibility for sports competitions. | |||
| The importance of using consistent inclusive language throughout the document. Terms can be confusing. | Key terms and definitions have been included in the Policy. The Policy and Action Plan was referred to Rainbow Local Government who provided some recommendations and clarifications which have been included in the final Policy. Feedback requested the adoption of the term “gender diverse bodies” instead of “gender diverse people”. | |||
| Assistance with access to sports courts (netball) – access to schools. | Many schools have incredible sports infrastructure that has limited community use. This is addressed in the action below: Action 1.9: Identify demand and unmet needs for sports courts to support netball and basketball. Includes exploring partnerships opportunities with schools. Council is also undertaking another piece of work as part of its community infrastructure planning on advocacy for community access to school owned community sports infrastructure. Schools and partnerships will also feature as part of the new Active Banyule, Sport and Recreation Plan. |
Background
Fair Access in Sport
Banyule's Fair Access in Sport Policy and Action Plan was developed in response to the Fair Access Policy Roadmap, released by the Office for Women in Sport in partnership with Sport and Recreation Victoria and VicHealth.
It provides a framework to support women, girls and gender diverse people to fully participate in all aspects of community sport in Banyule, and will build on Council’s investment in community sports infrastructure and initiatives to promote inclusion and gender equity in sports.
The Policy aims to address the known barriers experienced by women, girls and gender diverse people in:
- accessing and using community sports infrastructure
- participation in all aspects of community sport.
From 1 July 2024, all Victorian councils must have a Fair Access Policy and Action Plan in place to be eligible to receive sports infrastructure funding.
The development of the Policy and Action Plan aligns with our Council Plan 2021 - 2025 priority theme, 'Our Inclusive and Connected Community', and has been informed by the Inclusive Banyule Plan, the Community Infrastructure Plan and data from the Active Banyule consultation.
