Latest news with #OWSR
The Age
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Is this the turning point for women's sport in Victoria?
On Friday night, the Matildas are set to dazzle a massive Marvel Stadium crowd with their football talent. And across Victoria this weekend, thousands of other women and girls will play in one of the many community sporting leagues scattered across the state. But only last week, the Victorian government quietly cut funding from a prominent statewide program, designed to increase gender equality in sport. On Thursday, interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni reignited demands for better funding, sponsorship and support for professional female soccer players. The calls for more financial support - from professional leagues to community programs - underline the stark reality of women's sport in Australia, which is struggling to attract the necessary funding at all levels. Victoria's latest budget revealed that funding for the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) would be cut. The program was created specifically to bolster the number of women and girls participating in sport by providing Change Our Game community grants as well as encouraging equal access to sporting facilities. Another program, designed to support clubs that developed sporting programs which helped to address the issue of gender-based and domestic violence, was also cut. Budget documents from 2021 prominently announce the creation of the OWSR, with a Labor government press release at the time saying that the funding boost will 'level the playing field for women and girls' and support dozens of projects. The office received $3 million from the 2021-22 budget, and was allocated $2.9 million annually over the next three years. The decision to cut the dedicated program is unnerving for community sporting organisations like the Darebin Falcons. Based in Melbourne's northern suburbs, the women's club fields more than 40 teams across AFL, soccer and cricket.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Is this the turning point for women's sport in Victoria?
On Friday night, the Matildas are set to dazzle a massive Marvel Stadium crowd with their football talent. And across Victoria this weekend, thousands of other women and girls will play in one of the many community sporting leagues scattered across the state. But only last week, the Victorian government quietly cut funding from a prominent statewide program, designed to increase gender equality in sport. On Thursday, interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni reignited demands for better funding, sponsorship and support for professional female soccer players. The calls for more financial support - from professional leagues to community programs - underline the stark reality of women's sport in Australia, which is struggling to attract the necessary funding at all levels. Victoria's latest budget revealed that funding for the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) would be cut. The program was created specifically to bolster the number of women and girls participating in sport by providing Change Our Game community grants as well as encouraging equal access to sporting facilities. Another program, designed to support clubs that developed sporting programs which helped to address the issue of gender-based and domestic violence, was also cut. Budget documents from 2021 prominently announce the creation of the OWSR, with a Labor government press release at the time saying that the funding boost will 'level the playing field for women and girls' and support dozens of projects. The office received $3 million from the 2021-22 budget, and was allocated $2.9 million annually over the next three years. The decision to cut the dedicated program is unnerving for community sporting organisations like the Darebin Falcons. Based in Melbourne's northern suburbs, the women's club fields more than 40 teams across AFL, soccer and cricket.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Players across Victoria to protest cuts to gender equity programs
Women football players across Victoria are planning a protest against recent Victorian state budget cuts programs around gender equity and inclusion in sport. The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) and the Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants Program were both axed after Treasurer Jaclyn Symes handed down her first budget earlier last week. In response, Not All Clubs Media has led an initiative across social media to call on the state to reinstate the programs and "commit to a long-term strategy to make sport safe, equal, and accessible for women and gender diverse people". The plan is for players to wear red armbands this weekend when they run out. One armband will be worn to stand against the cuts and defunding, and another will be worn to honour the women who have been killed this year due to gender-based violence. "These initiatives and programs were among the first of their kind — designed to make sport safe, more inclusive, and more equal for women and gender diverse people. Without them, we risk going backwards — towards more harm, more silence, and fewer women and gender diverse people in the game," a statement read on social media. "This is happening during a national crisis of gender-based violence. Already this year, 29 women have been killed by violence. Last year, it was 103. "We refuse to go backwards. We refuse to be silenced. We refuse to stay quiet while safety is defunded." The cuts to the programs were announced at a Sport and Experience Economy meeting on Wednesday last week, where the secretary acknowledged that some of the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions lapsing programs would not receive further funding, and thus conclude over the coming months. Director at Equal the Contest and former Mt Alexander Falcons player Mitch Nivalis said clubs and people wanted to learn, but could not do so without financial support. "My experience screening Equal the Contest right across Victoria and the conversations with audiences as a result, is that people want to learn," Nivalis said. "They want to know how to improve their clubs so everyone has equal access and everyone feels safe and welcome. But they need support and the Victorian state government has just removed that support with this decision, and with it, hope for women, girls and gender diverse people in sport. "This decision by the Victorian state government undermines years of cumulative work done in partnerships between sports clubs, local government, academia, women's health, prevention of violence organisations and regional sports assemblies. "This is long-term work and axing the Office for Women in Sport and programs like Change our Game is a failure for every woman in Australia experiencing and at risk of gender based violence." Nivalis said it also had an impact on men and boys at football clubs. "It's also a failure to men and boys, who were benefiting from programs and environments that create new narratives for behaviour in sport," they said. "The momentum for men's allyship was just starting to build traction. If anything, now is the time to increase support for this work to capitalise on this potential for change. "My question is, what happens now to the Fair Access initiative? What happens to all the funding given to male dominated clubs to support women's programs — where's the accountability going to be to ensure this is actually followed through and not just funnelled back to men's teams?" A spokesperson said the Victorian government "will always support women and girls' participation in sport and recreation". "The functions of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation will continue to be held within Sport and Recreation Victoria," they said. OWSR administered the Change Our Game Program, which aimed at increasing the participation, leadership and visibility of women and girls in sport and active recreation. The Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants Program supported Victorian community sport and recreation in addressing gender-based violence, including family violence, sexual violence, and other forms of violence against women. The state budget was announced on Tuesday last week, with a focus on the cost of living and families, which promises a $600 million surplus for the first time since the pandemic. It placed thousands of public sector jobs on the chopping block as the government aims to save $3.3 billion.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Victorian state budget cuts programs around gender equity and inclusion in sport
Two Australian-first programs aimed at gender equality in sport have been cut after the release of Victoria's State Budget this week. The Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) and the Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants Program were both axed in Treasurer Jaclyn Symes's first budget. OWSR administered the Change Our Game Program, which aimed at increasing the participation, leadership and visibility of women and girls in sport and active recreation. The Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants Program supported Victorian community sport and recreation in addressing gender-based violence, including family violence, sexual violence, and other forms of violence against women. It supported organisations to design and deliver primary prevention activities within community sport settings through grants and funding. The cuts were announced at a Sport and Experience Economy meeting on Wednesday where the secretary acknowledged that some of the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions lapsing programs would not receive further funding and thus conclude over the coming months. A spokesperson said the Victorian government "will always support women and girls' participation in sport and recreation". Do you have a story idea about women in sport? Email us abcsport5050@ "The functions of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation will continue to be held within Sport and Recreation Victoria," they said. The state budget was handed down on Tuesday with a focus on the cost of living and families, which promises a $600 million surplus for the first time since the pandemic. It placed thousands of public sector jobs on the chopping block as the government aims to save $3.3 billion. The exact number of jobs to go and which ones they will be have not been identified. The violence prevention program had been running for three years, while OWSR was the first dedicated office in Australia aimed at improving gender equality in sport. Ahead of its eighth year this year, the program had funded 580 grants to the value of more than $2.9 million to community sport and active recreation clubs and organisations across Victoria. This was across a wide range of sports, including basketball, cycling, hockey, surfing and volleyball. The program also facilitated the Fair Access Policy Roadmap, an Australia‑first policy that aimed to give women and girls fairer access to community sports infrastructure, by supporting Victorian local councils to develop locally relevant gender equitable access. This aimed to tackle the widespread inequitable access to resources and facilities, as reported by the ABC. The Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence has been contacted for comment. Marnie Vinall was a graduate of the Making the Call program that became the Change our Game sports broadcasting program.
