Essay on Government (Public) Policies for Sport in Australia

Introduction

Commonly, public policy is enacted by the government in Australia. Mainly, it is aimed at communicating and delivering on strategic intentions. Besides, it guides the decisions made by the government; mostly, the investments which include financial assistance provided (Stewart & Smith, 2010, p. 190). Currently, the Australian sports policy deals with the role played by sports in adding value to the society. Also, its purpose goes beyond the sports sector because it includes social issues like community wellbeing, tourism, and trade (Conway, 2009). In the past, the Australian government was limited to the role it played in funding initiatives. With time, the government shifted its concerns from funding to include policy formulation and regulations in the sports industry. This was seen in 1941 when the government established the National coordinating council of Physical fitness. Also, the same era witnessed the enactment of the National Fitness Act (1941) (Bennett & Carter, 2001). The minister for sports recently announced that the federal government is making efforts to develop the national sports plan. The independent sports panel seconded this plan in 2009. The group claimed that the country had no national sports policy. Further, he argued that Australia lacked the national policy framework which would be used to set and evaluate the government funding (Nicholson, 2011). As time passed, there were developments in government policies for the sport as the country underwent legal developments. This paper will conduct a comparative analysis of a range of government policies for games in the study; from the survey, the readers will be introduced to ways in which such systems are developed and implemented.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Ideally, the sections will consist of seven policy problems which will be defined in light of how policies are developed and implemented. Hoye, Nicholson & Houlihan (2010) broaden the readers understanding of sports and policy by mentioning issues and analysis conducted on the policy systems in the country. Through the article, the readers are introduced to the regulatory role played by the government in sports. One of the policy problems that come with policy implementation and development is funding. Currently, the performance pillars in games are those that have been highly invested in. It is for his reason that Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) call for increased levels of public funding because they associate financing with improved competitive advantage and policy formulation (Bennett & Carter, 2001). This first policy problem defines the factors needed in creating policies; that is capital. Funds have been mismanaged in the way they are handled as well as the bias in allocation. Funding has been aimed at creating an increased international success rather than improved participation in sport. The prescription for success is not dependent on the fund but rather the critical pillars of sporting which include performance, prevention, physical activity, participation, and integrity (Nicholson, 2011). Other than focusing on funding, there are other policy issues which ought to be involved in the sporting activities to ensure the best out of the programs. The community ought to focus on the contribution of sports to social wellbeing as well as physical fitness. Competitive instincts should be integrated into the sporting through the keep physical index which reduces instances of being sedentary and overweight.

Secondly, agents who are concerned with sports call for increased participation in sports. The federal government believes that the involvement of every individual contributes the sports system as it helps in creating a pool through which knowledge and athletes can be drawn. Increases participation in setting standards in sports industry explains the role played by co-operation in policy formulation (Bennett & Carter, 2001). Typically, the policy is made through the co-operation with financial institutions and internal standard-setting bodies which aid in policy formulation and implementation. Through increased participation, there are effective supervisions which are achieved. Besides, information sharing is performed, and countries can make policies which apply to certain jurisdictions within the sports industry (Smith & Stewart, 2008, p. 127). It is unfortunate that the sports organizations and critical agencies are not crucial in policy implementation and development. This is seen from the policies and examples of urban regeneration mentioned by Conway (2009), and the author claims that these bodies are only focused on management of events like the Olympic games. Thus, their role in policy development is minimum. In essence, the critical impact that comes with these organizations is the use of sports tools to create economic growth and facilities for the teams (Cuskelly, Taylor, Hoye, & Darcy, 2006, p. 162). Ultimately, the interest in the sporting sector has shifted from building the best out of the sporting activities to lobbying government for financial support. Also, these bodies have changed their support in policy implementation by focusing on policies which attract sporting teams or events (Conway, 2009). Through increased participation, there is a pool of knowledge which helps in creating systems and law used to guide the implementation and development of regulations.

Australia is an inclusive and diverse society. However, the country is challenged with the aspect of strategizing their funds in a way that they can make the best out of it. This is seen from the fact that the country only made a treaty to measure the success of the sports in the country through the agreement made between the Australian Sports Commission and the Olympic movement (Aslebergsgard, 2007, p. 248). The agreement required the sports society to be top-five in their performance at the Olympic medals table. Since the country has no clear and sensible strategy, the funds have not been channeled insensible direction which will improve the overall performance of the sports (Nicholson, 2011). Olympic medals are not a good measure of sporting success. Policy setting should aim at creating a clear goal that can be aligned with given funding to bring out the best in the policy. For instance, the system should state that more public money should flow to favorite sports that most players play in Australia.

Fourthly, the country has failed to include an inclusive program which provides for both the Olympic and non-Olympic sports. Australia is known for being the best in non-Olympic sports like netball. If both games are funded equally, and per the national policy vision and framework, the country is bound to make the best out of the sporting policies (Smith & Stewart, 2008, p. 125). The policy problem introduces the reader to the subject of funding bias and its influence on policy implementation and sporting activities. Besides, it states that funding policies should be in line with the national policy vision which creates a framework through which the course of action ought to be implemented (Timpka, Ekstrand, & Svanstr, 2006, p. 738). The national policy vision in Australia is to include sports in making the society a better place. Hence, the policymakers ought to focus on the games that will create the best out of the various competitions. The French case says a considerable measure in regards to the esteem we put on wear and the overwhelming belief system that drives it (Cuskelly, Taylor, Hoye, & Darcy, 2006, p. 152). On the one hand, it means that sport is a significant, yet delicate organization that needs watchful security to guarantee its ability to convey great social results. It too recommends that players and competitors can't be trusted to carry on fittingly when it comes to sedate utilize and that strict controls are vital. While wear is a natural promulgator of positive qualities and proper instruction, it likewise must be corralled by a raft of correctional approvals to secure the best social results (Bennett & Carter, 2001). This prescriptive and dictator view can be outlined as a 'social building and brand professional section' belief system.

Policy implementation should aim at reducing the negative impacts of social factors. Currently, Australia is faced with the danger of drug-in-sport arrangements. The country has failed to implement a minimization model. The current anti-doping policy of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) contains inconsistencies and ambiguities. Systems should set a good example for the society, and thus anti-drug policies should aim at managing the drugs that come with sporting activities. Policy implementation should aim at creating an equal society where all members are presented with equal opportunities and challenges (Timpka, Ekstrand, & Svanstr, 2006, p. 739). As for the anti-doping drug, there should be the maintenance of a level playing field. The policy should move ahead to minimize the drug-related harms through the use of a harm minimization model. Mainly, policies are aimed at making every member of the society benefit from the interventions and regulations; thus, any policy formulation should aim at creating a level baseline. Anti-doping policies should, therefore, emphasize on making sure that the athletes are not disadvantaged unfairly (Cuskelly, Taylor, Hoye, & Darcy, 2006, p. 147). Australian sport's drug-use regulations are driven by a set of values and dispositions that views sports as being an essential part of the social issues. Some of the dominant shareholders who take part in the whole implementation process include the sports agencies and commonwealth government which imposed values and dispositions used to design the drug-in-sport policy.

Disagreements in policy implementation arise from the unclear definition of legislation and regulations. In Australia, there has been a concern on equality of access for sports. Unfortunately, the scientization and medicalization of game mean that only certain privileged athletes have access to the latest training advantages (Aslebergsgard, 2007, p. 254). This means some of the athletes will be limited. A good example is the weight-classes in boxing. These classes have limited some participants who have natural abilities that go against the social rule. Regulation on sporting activities should allow equal chances to people from all walks of life. While creating a similar platform, policy-making should aim at creating equal opportunities irrespective of the limitations of the variables involved. Ideally, sporting activities are inherently unbalanced by gender-bias and the different levels of genetic advantage (Cuskelly, Taylor, Hoye, & Darcy, 2006, p. 142). Through the article on gambling and sports, the readers have been introduced to three policy issues which define policy development and implementation. First, the report claims that there should be integrity in policy development. Then, there should be regulations on the betting operators and wagering. Lastly, there should be funding for the project. It is essential to have marked differences in the structure of the regulatory regimes as this helps in creating reviews which are used to develop policy solutions (Timpka, Ekstrand, & Svanstr, 2006, p. 738). Besides, in policy implementation, there should be legislation to prohibit specific activities. Up to now, there is still a policy challenge which comes with the intersection of sports in gambling; for instance, the issue of intellectual property rights.

There has been the failure of the self-regulatory frameworks to protect the people covered in sports policies. Many coaches and organizations have been accused of long-term abuse against...