Voluntary Student Unions and the Fat of the Nation. (May 5, 2005)

    It hasn't made the back pages of the capital city tabloids... yet, but it may at which point the issue could become serious. Greg Harris is the executive director of Sydney University Sport and The Australian's Higher Education Section gave him a bit over 800 words to ask "Where is the Government's impact study on the effect of abolishing compulsory sports fees?"

The short answer is, "nowhere" and Mr Harris goes on to point out, "That assessment seems to have been left to the university sports organisations themselves, which calculate that the legislation will rip $32million a year out of their budgets," and he continues, "Our taxes at local, state and federal government level underwrite approximately $2.2billion of expenditure per annum on sport and physical recreation." Now of course not every student makes use of the sporting facilities at university nor does every member of the public make use of the facilities subsidised by the $2.2 billion of taxpayers money.

Of course a way out for Dr Nelson (who as a former general practitioner ought to be well aware of the benefits of exercise and danger of obesity) is to arrange with the Minister for Health, Tony Abbott and the Minister for Arts and Sport, Senator Rob Kemp to find $32 million per annum and give it to the universities' sports and physical recreation facilities -- after all that's barely 1.5% of the $2.2 billion already being expended nation wide.

Mr Harris concludes, "Olympic Committee president John Coates estimated that a third of our Olympians in Athens were current or past tertiary students. Sydney University sent 17 athletes and one coach to the Olympics and the Paralympics. Does the Government fully understand how our success on the international sporting stage - and the pride and stature we derive from it - will be eroded if no allowance for sports is made in the VSU legislation?"

Apparently not, but if Greg Harris and his like can get the back pages of the tabloids interested, then he and his colleagues could look like Bret Lee bowling to a number eleven who came out without his helmet and box.