As of next year, NSW parents are going to be offered $100 per kid to get them playing sport.
Online commentators have already attacked the move, labelling it “vote-buying” and “middle-class welfare”. But a leading researcher into child obesity has praised it, saying it will help the kids who need it most.
The Active Kids Rebate was announced in the NSW budget yesterday. From January 1 2018, parents will be able to register online to receive a $100 voucher which can be used to help pay for kids’ sporting activities.
Every child enrolled in school, from kindergarten to Year 12, is eligible, and it’s not means-tested.
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The voucher can be used towards registration or membership fees for a wide range of sports, including netball, swimming, gymnastics and athletics.
Sydney paediatrician Professor Louise Baur says it makes sense.
“Obviously there are some families for whom the costs of for whom this doing extra sport for their kids isn’t a barrier,” she tells Mamamia.
“But there are families is a very real issue. The cost of uniforms, kitting out a child, cost of registration, etc, can be a real barrier.
“This is about physical activity, and it’s about inclusion – getting rid of those barriers that stop kids, who probably need it more than most, to have the opportunity to be involved.”
Kids living in wealthier suburbs are already at an advantage when it comes to exercise.
“The more socially advantaged areas tend to be safer to walk in, they have more parks and green space, they even have beaches and things like that,” Professor Baur points out.
But do we really need to pay parents to get their kids to exercise more?
It’s no news to anyone that obesity is one of our most serious health issues. Professor Baur says obesity rates went up dramatically in the 1980s, due to the rise of fast food and more people driving cars.
Top Comments
We have had the $50 sport voucher for primary students in SA for the past 2 years going in to the third now and it's a great incentive for parents who might be struggling to get the kids to play sport or find a sport they like. Sport costs us over $15k a year (4 boys x 6 sports plus one is an elite athlete) but it all helps. We have also seen more children who are struggling with obesity coming out and giving it a go and having their confidence built up by feeling apart of a team who want them to have fun and enjoy themselves and come back each week.
We live within 800m of our local primary and more parents in our neighbourhood drive than walk/ride or allow their children independently. Then they complain about parking and school drop zones. It's bizarre.
Yep, I have friends who like 500m from their kids soccer ground ... And they drive there!