Every child deserves to play

Queensland families shouldn’t have to choose between breaking the bank or sitting on the sidelines. This year, the typical family will spend more than $780 per child if they don't want their kids to miss out on sport. For a family of three kids, that’s over $2,000 every year,  a massive bill for something every kid should have.

The Greens will guarantee every Queenslander under the age of 18 one free sporting program or season of club sport every year. By making big corporations pay their fair share, we can cover the cost of a season for every kid, support clubs with extra funding, and give each child a $150 voucher for sports equipment. 

What if Ash Barty’s parents couldn’t pay for tennis lessons? What if Daly Cherry-Evans’ family couldn’t afford footy boots? Yet right now kids from low income households are almost twice as likely to miss out on outside-school sport than their wealthier peers. By covering the cost of fees and equipment for a sport of their child’s choice, we can deliver massive cost of living relief to all families and ensure every kid can play sport.

In Queensland’s fastest growing suburbs, sporting clubs turn away new players for lack of space. We’ll create a $200 million fund to acquire new land for open public greenspace and sporting fields so that there’s more room to play both organised and casual sport.

The Greens will:

• Fund one free sporting program, or season of club sport, every year, for every child and Queenslander under 18. 
• Support clubs to increase capacity with annual grants of $25,000.
• Refund up to $150 in sports equipment purchases for every Queensland child. 
• Allocate $200 million towards acquiring new sporting fields and green space in growing suburbs so that every kid can play sport, no matter where they live.

Free sport every year

The average Queensland family spends $1,355 per child on outside-school sport, with half of all families spending at least $780¹. Not only are families having to pay too much, but far too many kids are missing out because their family simply can’t afford to pay. 

Kids from low income households are almost twice as likely to miss out on outside-school sport than their wealthier peers².

In a wealthy state like Queensland, we can make sure no child is excluded from playing sport simply because the costs are too high.

The Greens will guarantee every Queenslander under 18 one free sporting program, or season of club sport, every year, with no out of pocket costs. We would allocate $1.75 billion over 4 years to support this plan.

The free sport program will extend to any activity provider registered with the Queensland Government. There are currently over 4,000 registered providers covering a wide variety of sports, from martial arts and dancing to soccer and swimming. Clubs and providers not yet registered will be able to apply.

The State government would reimburse providers directly, when a family signs up for a season or program. Providers would be able to charge fees capped at 2024 levels. 

To remain eligible for the $25,000 annual grants (below) clubs and providers would need to ensure their sporting programs remain free for families with no out of pocket costs for participation.

Supporting clubs to bolster capacity

The Greens estimate that closing the participation rate between kids from low and high income households by funding free sport for all would result in a 14% increase in total participation, an extra 110,000 kids per year. We’ve allocated $50 million per year to support clubs to bolster their capacity.

Registered clubs and activity providers will be able to apply for an annual $25,000 grant to upgrade facilities and purchase new gear. 

$150 vouchers for sporting equipment

We’ll make sure every child can get the most out of their free sporting program by ensuring they can get the equipment they need to play.

Queensland families will be able to download a voucher for each child entitling them to $150 to use on sports equipment. We would allocate $381 million over 4 years to support this program. 

More space for sports and play

In Queensland’s fastest growing suburbs, sporting clubs are having to turn away hundreds of kids for lack of space to field more teams. We’ll create a $200 million fund to acquire new land for public greenspace and sporting fields so that there’s more room to play both organised and casual sport.

Land will be acquired based on a set of criteria which will prioritise both community need for recreational space as well as converting flood-prone sites to greenspace. Like existing flood buy-back programs, sites would be handed to local governments and designated as public parks. 

Land will be used to expand facilities available for existing clubs, found new clubs, or to create public parkland that the community can use for casual sport and exercise. 

Funding our plan

Free sport for Queensland kids would cost $2.53 billion over four years, funded by our plan to raise $61 billion from increasing royalties on big mining companies. 

Sources:
1 The Australian Sports Commission, 2023. Participation expenditure. Median expenditure for child under 14 years of age, Queensland.
2 The Australian Sports Commission, 2023. AusPlay Queensland Data Tables Participation rate >1 per year for child under 14 years of age, Queensland.