By Greg Blood

The Australian Government’s funding to sport since 1985/86 has primarily been through allocations to the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). This compilation will assist those interested the Australian Government’s investment in sport.

The Australian Government also allocates funding to Sport Integrity Australia and the Office of Sport located in the Federal Dept responsible for sport. Funding to Sport Integrity Australia (formerly Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority) has increased in recent years due to Australian Governments increased commitment to sport integrity. Office for Sport currently part of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts allocates funding to major events and water and snow safety. These allocations are not covered in this article.

The table below documents Australian Government allocations to the ASC. The merger of ASC and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 1988/89 has led to consolidated funding. ASC funding allocated to national sports organisations (NSO) is listed – this highlights changes in the level of financial support to NSOs.

Significant Australian Governments funding announcements are noted as they have led to an increase in ASC funding. ASC funding is primarily directed towards high performance, participation and governance.

Table 1 – Australian Government Funding to Australian Sports Commission

Year	AIS/ASC Govt Funding $’000	Total AIS/ASC Income $’000	ASC NSO Funding $’000	Funding Notes including Policy Announcements
1980/81	1,077	1,164	n/a	AIS opened Jan 1981
1981/82	2,738	3,009	n/a	AIS only
1982/83	4,507	4,796	n/a	AIS only
1983/84	5,560	6,143	n/a	AIS only
1984/85	8,920	9,640	n/a	AIS only
1985/86	19,606	21,503	7,040	Combined ASC & AIS funding
1986/87	21,893	25,174	5,597	Combined ASC & AIS funding
1987/88	28,409	35,695	6,455	Combined ASC & AIS funding
1988/89	27,809	35,883	6,122	ASC includes AIS from 1988/89 due to merger
1989/90	43,046	56,556	12,855	The Next Step” Policy – $230 m over 4 years.
1990/91	55,341	64,397	31,569
1991/92	59,250	70,031	36,172
1992/93	60,799	69,882	35,340
1993/94	63,363	71,711	37,402
1994/95	85,918	97,386	49, 719	Olympic Athlete Program 1994-2000 Policy – $140m over 6 years
1995/96	87,031	104,857	56,864
1996/97	84,320	106,130	48,300
1997/98	89,977	107,780	57,528
1998/99	89,824	110,663	57,451
1999/00	112,894	136,080	59,484
2000/01	97,612	113,707	46,887
2001/02	124,400	145,082	66,161	Backing Australia’s Sporting Future Policy – $161.6 m over 4 years
2002/03	134,296	157,018	69, 416	The refurbishment of AIS facilities including establishing European Training Centre – $65.36 m
2003/04	125,592	147,949	74,259
2004/05	145,794	170,606	75,166	Active After-school Communities (AASC) commenced – $90 m over 3 years
2005/06	168,631	190,526	78,679
2006/07	193,017	217,443	89,716
2007/08	216,375	251,343	96,809	AASC extended further three years – $124.4 m
2008/09	219,785	262,205	103,173
2009/10	223,004	255,843	95,521
2010/11	269,501	315,630	126,588	Australia Sport: The pathway to success – $195.2 including $43.1 m AASC program
2011/12	268,693	316,006	136,015
2012/13	267,698	305,407	130,157
2013/14	265,914	297,666	122,705
2014/15	266,068	311,236	138,813	Sporting Schools initiative – $100.3 million over three years.
2015/16	253,646	291,864	125,680
2016/17	250,669	288,925	127,778
2017/18	267,904	298,809	137,155	Grants 2,000 athletes $15.5 million
2018/19	374,346	402,066	173,494	Sport Building More Active Australia – $230 m over four years including $102.4 m community sports facilities
2019/20	388,503	418,701	170, 715
2020/21	322,404	347,721	174,589
2021/22	323,530	349,920	164,901
2022/23	348,204	385,133	171,455
2023/24	353,963	376,943	195,774
2024/25	449,612	481,578	233,622
2025/26	450,064	490,978	n/a
2026/27	433,439 (not actual)	470,302 (not actual)	/na

Notes –

• Source: Australian Sports Commission (1984/85- ) and Australian Institute of Sport (1981-1988) Annual Reports (financial statements and NSO Allocations) available through Clearinghouse for Sport Publications Archive
• Total ASC Income includes Australian Government allocations and other income ( sale of goods and services, interest, royalties and rental income)
• Limited NSO funding prior to the establishment of the ASC was allocated by Federal Dept responsible for sport
• In researching this article, they were often discrepancies between annual reports and Australian Government papers papers. The decision was made to rely on ASC annual reports due to their accessibility.