Category: Politics
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Albanese Government Endorses the Independent Review into the Australian Institute of Sport.
By Greg Blood The Independent Review Report highlights the reasons for the 249.7 million investment into the “spine of Australian sport – the AIS in Canberra. The last major investment into AIS facilities in Canberra was in the 2002 Howard Government budget where $65 million was allocated over six years for the development of –…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series – Harold Holt
By Greg Blood HAROLD HOLT LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA 17th Prime Minister: 1966–1967 Harold Holt had a passion for health and fitness and this led to several Australian Government initiatives during his time in leadership positions. Holt as prime minister upheld the Menzies Government view that government should have a limited involvement in sport. His…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series – Andrew Fisher
By Greg Blood ANDREW FISHER – AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY 5th Prime Minister (1908–1909; 1910–1913; 1914–1915) Andrew Fisher viewed sport and physical fitness in terms of nationalism. The physical fitness of Australian men would be important in defending the new nation and the Olympic Games could help promote physical fitness and the nation on the…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series – Ben Chifley
By Greg Blood JOSEPH BENEDICT ‘BEN’ CHIFLEY– AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY 15th Prime Minister: 1945 -1949 Ben Chifley as Treasurer (1941-1949) and Prime Minister (1945-1949) made decisions that impacted positively and negatively on sport in Australia encompassed by World War II. Sport was important to Chifley in his youth and it helped him gain a community…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series – Chris Watson
By Greg Blood JOHN CHRISTIAN (CHRIS) WATSON AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY 3rd Prime Minister: 1904 Chris Watson was the Australian Labor Party’s (ALP) first prime minister but his time in the role was very brief – 113 days. Watson predominantly played rugby union and rowed in his youth and twenties. He viewed sport from the…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series – William McMahon
By Greg Blood SIR WILLIAM McMAHON GCMG CH PC – LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA 20th Prime Minister: 1971-1972 William ‘Billy’ McMahon was prime minister for just under 2 years and his government had to manage the controversial tour of the 1971 South African rugby union team. There was increasing opposition in Australia to the racially…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series – Joseph Lyons
By Greg Blood JOSEPH ALOYSIUS LYONS CH – AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY / UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY 10th Prime Minister: 1932-1939 Joseph ‘Joe’ Lyons was prime minister during a significant period of the Great Depression where sport played a role in distracting the Australian community from the day-to-day cost of living pressures and high levels of unemployment. The…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series – Gough Whitlam
by Greg Blood EDWARD “GOUGH” WHITLAM AC QC – AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY 21st Prime Minister: 1972-1975 Gough Whitlam had a limited interest in sport as a participant and spectator but he understood the role that sport could play in Australian society at a time where there was increasing leisure time. His government can be considered…
australiansportreflections
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Why does the Australian Government invest in sport ? One answer is national pride.
By Greg Blood Why does the Australian Government invest in sport? There are many reasons but the Maltidas performances at the home FIFA Women’s World Cup is an example of sport and its impact on nationalism or national pride. I’m currently researching Australian prime ministers and sport and found that most of them understood that…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series
By Greg Blood This series profiles every Australian prime minister and their interest in and contribution to the development of sport in Australia. It is often stated that politics and politics don’t or should not mix. This series will highlight how they do mix and interact particularly since 1970 when the Australian Government established a…
australiansportreflections