Comparative Analysis of Range of Government Policies for Sport in Australia - Case Study Example

Comparative Analysis of Range of Government (Public) Policies for Sport in Australia Name: University: Date: Table of Contents Comparative Analysis of Range of Government (Public) Policies for Sport in Australia 1 Table of Contents 2 Elite Sport & Sport Pathways 3 Sport Participation & Junior Sport 4 Sport Betting 5 Sport Broadcasting 6 Drugs in Sport 8 Stadia & Events 9 Harassment & Discrimination 10 Synthesis 12 References 13 Comparative Analysis of Range of Government (Public) Policies for Sport in Australia Elite Sport & Sport Pathways Elite sport has increasingly been associated with the issue of drugs in the sport while the government continues to focus on ways of maximising the investment value in sport (Hoye et al., 2010). Lack of integration between elite competitive programs, recreational community programs and physical education programs in the schools has led to some issues such as lack of proper fitness, poor development of skills and undertraining. Besides that, athletes at the developmental level are coached by inexperienced volunteers and this often results in inability to perform well in international competitions because of poor skill development. To address this policy problem a subcommittee of Committee of Australian Sport and Recreation Officials (CASRO) known as National Elite Sports Council (NESC) was established in 1993 with the goal of providing a forum for managing issues, communicating and coordinating the national program across Australia. Besides that, the National Institute System Intergovernmental Agreement was formed in 2011 so as to offer a collaborative approach between the sporting agencies with the objective of providing the national sporting organisations with high-performance plans. Without a doubt, the policy problem affects a number of people and organisations such as community sport organisations, volunteer coaches, administrators, athletes, officials, Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA), Australian Olympic Committee, and sport academies. The resources or skills needed so as to implement this policy training and coaching within the required standards, improving the training facilities and allowing adaptive forms of motivation so as to improve the performance quality of the athletes (Sotiriadou & Shilbury, 2009). Furthermore, the government should introduce a scheme that needs graduates from Australian Institute of Sport and other sport institutions to donate expertise and time to the Australian sport system. Talent identification (TID) system should be introduced so as to ensure that there is a developmental pathway that could consequently improve the national performance. Sport Participation & Junior Sport Over the last two decades, Shilbury, Sotiriadou, and Green (2008) posit that sport in Australia has professionalised to a level that identification of talent has become an essential part of the country’s sports system. Still, young athletes are still facing scores of responsibilities and challenges. Some of the issues associated with this policy include; inadequate time because of school commitments, peer pressure, body image and financial constraints. Without a doubt, such barriers reduce the level of sport participation amongst the young population. Furthermore, young people from minority population such as Aboriginals and immigrants face additional obstacles such as fear of discrimination and racism, language barriers and financial problems. In order to address the policy problem, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) in 2003 released the Junior Sport Framework to offer a guideline to all National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) with the goal of ensuring best practices in the junior sport as well as to promote lasting commitment to sport from the young population. The policy problem affects a wide range of people such as the young people, teachers, parents, carers, coaches, volunteers and administrators. The people mentioned above are affected because they are the major stakeholders in the junior sport since they offer the needed support and infrastructure. Furthermore, they as well determine the junior sport’ social atmosphere and for that reason, their contribution cannot be taken too lightly. Resources or skills that are required to implement this policy include working with community leaders as well as leaders of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) groups so as to ensure that the sport opportunities are improved for all the young people regardless of their cultural backgrounds. Besides that, junior sport programs should be marketed so as to encourage the young population to participate in the sport. Skills needed include the ability to effectively integrate young population into different competitions and also being able to introduce junior sport programs that do not infringe the religious and cultural practices and beliefs (Smith, 2005). Sport Betting Sports betting have exponential grown in Australia and has resulted in an issue of sport integrity. Sport betting has been catalysed by the development of Internet as well as the increase of interactive media. According to Lastra, Bell, and Bond (2016) sport betting is often related to sport corruption, especially in terms of placing illegal bets. Basically, illegal bets are associated with coordinated activities intended for changing the odds with the goal of manipulating the results through misuse of insider information or match-fixing, spot-fixing. Hitherto, Australians are believed to be amongst the world’s prolific gamblers; therefore, there are a number of issues such as criminal issues and ethical considerations that pose threat to the integrity of Australian sport (Williams, 2015). In 2011, the federal government of Australia introduced a National Policy on sport’s match-fixing together with National Integrity in Sport Unit (NISU), which is a non-regulatory body that oversees monitors and coordinates the efforts to fight corruption in the Australian sport. The national policy seeks to maintain the integrity in Australian sport by ensuring that efforts between betting regulators, law enforcement agencies, and sporting bodies are coordinated. The sport betting issue is further addressed by the code of conduct, anti-match-fixing policy template in addition to Integrity agreement for the sporting organisations. People affected by the sport betting problem include athletes, assistants, coaches as well as administrators. Organisations involved include investigation bodies, sporting teams and gamblers (mainly the students). The resources or skills required in order to successfully implement this policy include the ability of the law enforcement to respond swiftly on corruption motivated by betting in Australia. Imperatively, the government should introduce a technique that is more proactive so as to address this issue. The focus should be on sports corruption, and not specifically on race-fixing in greyhound and horse racing. Sport Broadcasting In Australia, the sport broadcasting industry has experienced different intensity and forms of regulations. The media industry’s diversity as well as the ever-changing complexity makes it hard for the government to use regulatory frameworks, which is consistent with the policy objectives and enable the market to operate efficiently. Basically, the landscape of the sport media is considered to be different from the wider media landscape due to its unique features: intense competition amongst the broadcasters, noteworthy audience appeal, comparatively inexpensive costs of production, and an equally supporting web of promotion between various forms of media (Hoye, Nicholson, & Houlihan, 2010). However, the sale of sports rights has become a major issue considering that the sports rights can be monopolised by the broadcasters after they buy them through extended contracts. In order to address the policy problem, the government introduced the anti-siphoning scheme (Turner & Shilbury, 2010). The scheme does not allow free-to-air TV broadcasters to premiere events on their digital multi-channels if they are in the anti-siphoning list. Besides that, the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 allows the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to monitor and investigate the anti-siphoning scheme functions. People affected by the sport broadcasting include the amateur participants, the professional players, the medics, the sports organisations; Australian sports governing bodies, spectators, the governing bodies as well as the financial sponsors in the Australian sport. Other people affected by sport broadcasting include the community, especially when holding events or providing news to the media. To successfully implement the policy the resources required include the dedication of the broadcasters to the local communities in creating awareness about sport broadcasting. Besides that, technology offers the opportunity of finding improved and innovative ways of delivering high-quality programs to the viewers. Imperatively, ability to remain informed is crucial in the present media landscape that is continually changing. This can be achieved through research projects that seek to strengthen position of the broadcasters on issues of the public policy and to offer them information that can help them in making informed business decisions. Drugs in Sport Utilisation of substances or illegal/prohibited techniques in the sporting context can threaten fair play, personal health as well as the integrity of the Australian sport. All people in the sporting sector are expected to adhere to the anti-doping procedures and policies so as to participate in the international or Australian sport. A number of athletes use certain drugs with the goal of improving their performance, but this can result in serious risks such as life-long morbidity or death (Orchard, Healey, Fricker, Burke, & White, 2006). Without a doubt, sport with no anti-doping laws put more athletes at risk of not competing at the elite level. To address this issue, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was created with the goal of implementing uniform standards of anti-doping across the globe worldwide. Therefore, Australia has continually ensured that it adheres to WADA policies so as to make sure that its athletes participate in sport that free from doping. To ensure it meets WADA requirements and standards, Australian Sports Commission formulated an Anti-Doping Policy implemented in early 2015. Furthermore, the country created Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) with the objective of fighting doping in the Australian sport. Established in 2006, ASADA has worked hard so as to ensure that the Australian sporting culture is free from doping and also to ensure that the performance of the athletes purely reliant on honesty, determination, talent and courage. The policy problem affects a wide range of people and organisations such as Pharmaceutical Industry, athletes, laboratories, Anti-Doping Organisations, sports associations and institutions, as well as the country’s legal systems. To ensure the anti-doping policy is implemented effectively, the government should introduce a regulatory intervention that ensures all stakeholders in the sport sector are involved to ensure Australia is a free-doping country. Furthermore, physical education will be required for upcoming athletes so as to ensure they understand the risks associated with drugs in sports. Stadia & Events Accessing quality sport facilities has become a major issue in the sport’s capacity to meet the demand of the current user as well as to plan for the future growth. According to Toohey and Taylor (2013), it is hard for the sporting facilities to present barriers unless factors like management practices, community reach, location, design and sustainability generate conditions that limit the usage of the stadia. The Australian federal government often finance different projects associated with the sporting facilities, but they do not take part in the management or planning of the facilities. Issues associated with stadia and events are addressed by the National Sport and Active Recreation Policy Framework, which is a strategic approach for developing the sport policy initiatives at both elite and community levels. Importantly, the framework offers a guide on how governments across Australia can develop policies associated with sporting facilities and events. The framework seeks to promote alignment of active recreation and sport programs and funding with the goal of improving the outcomes. Individuals affected by this policy include the state and territorial governments, major corporations holding the events, sporting associations, athletes, Department of Sport and Recreation, sports federation, even planners and the community as a whole. To successfully implement the policy, the government should collaborate with other departments such as the Department of Infrastructure so as to ensure the sporting facilities are well maintained and within the required standards. Imperatively, the government should be able to promote a stable, viable and secure environment for individuals going to spectate a sport or those taking part in an event. The fans and those participating in an event should be able to find the parking as well as navigate easily through the parking areas. Harassment & Discrimination Unethical attitudes, decisions and actions in the Australian sport are directly in conflict with the sport ideals. Still, the country has tried to embed the ethical behaviour, which is typified by respect, fairness and inclusion, fairness and respect into the sporting values. Generally, the sport exemplifies positive morals and values, like mutual respect, cooperation, equality and fair play (Stewart, 2004). Still, Australian sport has occasionally exhibited unethical behaviour and undesirable values. Some athletes are discriminated and harassed because of their sex, gender, sexuality, age, religion and colour. To address the harassment and discrimination issues, the federal government has introduced some laws that seek to protect people against discrimination in the sport. For instance, the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 was adopted with the goal of ensuring that every person is treated fairly and equally, irrespective of their colour, race, ethnic origin, ethnic or religious background. Besides that, the issue is addressed by the Racial Hatred Act 1995 that allows people, especially those who are racially discriminated to make a complaint. The two acts seek to create a balance between the right to live free from denigration and communicate freely. Furthermore, all states and territories in Australia have illegalised discrimination and harassment. Moreover, the racial discrimination legislation as mentioned by Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (2008) can hold a sporting organisation vicariously responsible in case the organisation’s representatives such as athletes, coaches, managers or officials behave discriminatively or harass someone while on official duties. Another initiative is the Harassment-free Sport Strategy, which was 1998 with the goal of increasing litigation regarding harassment, discrimination as well as abuse in sport. Individuals affected by this policy include parents, players, administrators, officials and spectators. Some of the organisations influenced by the policy include the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission; the state and territorial governments and the rights groups. To ensure that the harassment and discrimination are not part of the Australian sport, some of the resources required include social cohesion and social inclusion so as to combat social isolation. Promoting social inclusion can create a fairer society wherein discrimination as well as the disadvantage is reduced. The government should come up with some programs such as the Indigenous Sport Program so as to promote a cross-cultural awareness and offer a basic appreciation and understanding of the culture, issues and history of aboriginals and other minority groups in Australia. Synthesis In conclusion, the report has demonstrated that the growing level of government intervention in sport is attributed to the increased elite sport commercialisation; therefore, the policy introduced by the government seeks to protect the interests of corporations as well as athletes in Australian sport. The government has laid down rules, which impact the on-field activities of athletes, their personal conduct and employment relationships. Increased success in the international competition can motivate many young people to participate in sport. However, challenges such as lack of financing or time make it hard for many young people to join the organised sport clubs and as a result, sport participation has reduced tremendously. Sport Participation and Junior Sport is a policy problem that is interesting to examine because many young people like associating themselves with successful athletes; therefore, increased success in international competition can result in high grassroots and grassroots sport participation. Sport betting is without a doubt a global problem that has forced the Australian government to repeatedly change the existing policies that seek to maintain integrity in the sport. Although corruption in sport is still low in Australia as compared to other countries, the government must come up with severe measures that would completely prevent corruption in the sport. Sport betting has become a major problem in Australia, but this exacerbated by sport broadcasters working industriously to increase public exposure through some unethical means. Drug use is also a major problem in sport since it is associated with the concerns regarding the integrity of the elite sport. Athletes have become impatient with the training system; therefore, they have opted for drugs so as to improve their performance. The anti-doping laws have enabled Australia to protect athletes that are honest and hardworking from the selfish athletes conspiring with their coaches to enhance their field performance. Harassment and discrimination is a major issue that creates hindrance to sport participation. The existing interventions have not been adequately effective to curb harassment and discrimination in the sport: therefore, the government should promote the mandatory reporting processes so as to curb these inappropriate behaviours. Building stadia and hosting events can result in better outcomes such as economic development as well as urban regeneration. References Hoye, R., Nicholson, M., & Houlihan, B. (2010). Sport and Policy Issues and Analysis. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. (2008). What’s the score? A survey of cultural diversity and racism in Australian sport. Sydney NSW: Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Lastra, R., Bell, P., & Bond, C. (2016). Sports Betting-Motivated Corruption in Australia: An Under-Studied Phenomenon. International Journal of Social Science Research, 4(1), 61-82. Orchard, J. W., Healey, D. J., Fricker, P. A., Burke, L. M., & White, S. L. (2006). The use and misuse of performance-enhancing substances in sport. Medical Journal of Australia, 184(3), 132-136. Shilbury, D., Sotiriadou, K. (., & Green, C. (2008). Sport Development. Systems, Policies and Pathways: An Introduction to the Special Issue. Sport Management Review, 11, 217-223. Smith, A. C. (2005). Junior Sport Participation Programs in Australia . Youth Studies Australia, 24(1), 54-59. Sotiriadou, K. (., & Shilbury, D. (2009). Australian Elite Athlete Development: An Organisational Perspective. Sport Management Review , 12(3), 137–148. Stewart, B. (2004). Australian Sport--better by Design?: The Evolution of Australian Sport Policy. Melbourne VIC: Psychology Press. Toohey, K., & Taylor, T. (2013). Australian Sport: Antipodean Waves of Change. Sydney: Routledge. Turner, P., & Shilbury, D. (2010). The Impact of Emerging Technology in Sport Broadcasting on the Preconditions for Interorganizational Relationship (IOR) Formation in Professional Football. Journal of Sport Management, 24, 10-44. Williams, P. (2015, December 7). Why Australians are gambling more than ever . Retrieved from The Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/business/why-australians-are-gambling-more-than-ever-20151207-glh52t.html Read More