AUSactive Chief Executive Barrie Elvish has this morning emphasised the role the exercise industry can play in meeting Australia’s national health and physical activity objectives.
In his opening address at the AUSActive Senior Management Summit, being held alongside the AusFitness Industry event in Sydney this morning, Elvish highlighted the peak body’s ongoing lobbying and campaigning to improve how its messages are recognised by governments and the wider community, pointing to AUSactive directors meeting Federal Government representatives in Canberra as of yesterday.
Elvish advised “it’s important to make the most of opportunities to talk to politicians that understand the importance of physical activity”, recalling how “at the start of this year we had a budget solution asking for tax deductibility for gym memberships, for a change on the FBT (fringe benefits tax) on gym memberships and for a public health campaign on the benefits of physical activity.”
Elvish acknowledged that such a campaign should have an overall focus on physical activity rather than gym memberships, which could be seen as self interest on behalf of AUSactive members. Rather, he saw increased visits to fitness facilities would likely benefit from such a campaign.
Significantly, Elvish firmly stated “the worst thing the Federal Government can do in promoting physical activity is to give any campaign to the Australian Sports Commission."
Elaborating on this when speaking to Australasian Leisure Management later, Elvish stated “I see that the sports sector has successfully over convinced governments and those who make government policy into believing that sport equates to physical activity.
“Now I’m the first to acknowledge that all sport involves physical activity but very little physical activity involves sport. With sport participation in the general community falling off a cliff - other than elite sports and sporting clubs in the regional areas because, in regional areas sport plays a different role in providing a cohesive glue for the for that community - but young kids these days are not interested in playing sport.
“They’re not interested in committing themselves to 20 weeks season, they’re not interested in training four three times a week - they would prefer to go skating, surfing or cycling once a week - so sport participation is dropping, and this is confirmed by studies like AusPlay."
Born in the English county of Dorset, Nigel Benton is the co-founder and Publisher of Australasian Leisure Management, Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific’s only magazine for professionals in all areas of the leisure industry and the www.ausleisure.com.au website - the go to news resource for industry leaders and professionals.
With a long-term commitment to communicating all that is best about the leisure industry (aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues) his career has been defined by an ability to develop and implement industry communications.
Starting his career working in heritage visitor attractions and then adventure travel in Africa and the Middle East, an interest in writing about his experiences led to his change of career into magazine journalism and publishing.
In addition to publishing, Nigel speaks on marketing communications at a range of industry events.
He was made a Life Member of the World Leisure and Recreation Association in 2006 and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (London).
As of October 2024, he was inducted into the Australian Fitness Awards Roll of Honour at the 2024 AUSactive National Awards.
Among a range of published works and features, his comments on a Blog (blogspot) from 2007 to 2011, when this website went live in its current form, may be interesting to reflect back on.
His philosophy on life is to be kind to all and to indulge those that you love.
His passions include family, Newcastle United and motorcycles (especially British ones) as well, until February 2025 when she left us, caring a little pug named Stella.
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