Ministerial media release: New sports rebate to help family budget
June 2017
Thousands of school children across New South Wales are set to benefit from a new $100 rebate for sporting and fitness related costs, with $207 million set aside over four years from 2017-2018.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet today announced an ‘Active Kids Rebate’ will be available for every family with children in school from early next year.
“Tearing around the sports ground is the best thing about being a kid, but sports registration and lesson fees can really add up for families,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Our Budget will lower that cost for every school child in NSW, making sport more accessible, helping families out and reducing barriers to healthy activity.”
“The health of our children is a priority for every parent and I hope this rebate is the difference it takes to enable parents to enrol their child in the sport of their choice.”
Families will be able to claim the rebate on items such as sports registration and membership costs, as well as swimming lesson fees.
Sports Minister Stuart Ayres said the annual rebate will not be means tested and available for every school child wanting to get involved in community sport and fitness.
“We would love to see more young people participating in sport, we know promoting active habits early is a key factor for ensuring a generation of healthy kids and tackling rising obesity rates.”
Parents will be able to register online and can take a sports voucher to a registered sports club or provider to receive their rebate.
“Whether it’s strapping on their boots, donning a netball bib or pulling on their team colours, this is about making sure families don’t have to stretch their budgets to ensure their kids are active and healthy,” Mr Ayres said.
The ‘Active Kids Rebate’ is a key initiative in the 2017-18 Budget and supports the Premier’s priority to reduce overweight and obesity rates of children by five per cent over 10 years.
From 1 January 2018, parents will be able to claim up to $100 per school child, per calendar year, as a voucher to reduce the cost of sport registration or membership fees for after-school and weekend sport, and active recreation activities.
These activities could include sports such as netball, football or basketball; swimming classes or lessons; as well as other fitness or physical activities such as gymnastics or athletics.
A comprehensive list of eligible sports and activities will be finalised following community consultation ahead of the start date early next year, to allow providers to register with the NSW Office for Sport.
More details are available on the NSW Office of Sport website, see Active Kids Rebate
The 2017-18 Budget will allocate $207 million over four years to establish the Active Kids Rebate program to help NSW families meet the cost of getting their kids into sport and fitness activities.
From 1 January 2018, parents will be able to claim up to $100 per school child, per calendar year, as a voucher to reduce the cost of sport registration or membership fees for after-school, weekend and structured fitness or physical activity.
These activities could include: traditional sport such as netball, football or basketball; swimming classes or lessons; as well as other fitness or physical activities such as gymnastics or athletics.
A comprehensive list of eligible sports and activities will be finalised following community consultation ahead of the start date, to allow providers to register with the NSW Office of Sport.
The voucher will not be means-tested and available to every school child wanting to get active in their community through sport and active recreation.
Parents will be able to register online to get their voucher to a sports club or registered provider to receive the rebate.
The Active Kids Rebate program will help deliver on the Premier’s Priority of reducing child overweight and obesity rates by five per cent over 10 years.
Scouts NSW will be an eligible provider of the Active Kids Rebate Program announced by the NSW Government as part of its 2017-18 budget this year.
From 1 January 2018, families with children in Scouts from Kindy to Year 12 can apply on-line for a $100 voucher per child per year to go towards Membership Fees. The program will continue for the next four years. What a great way to start the Scout year!
“Participation in Scouting leads to a lifelong love affair with the outdoors and an active lifestyle. Many former Scouts continue to enjoy outdoor activities such as bushwalking, canyoning, abseiling and canoeing. This program will support many of our families across NSW and I am delighted that we will be an eligible provider,” said Neville Tomkins OAM JP Scouts NSW Chief Commissioner”.
“Scouting unlocks the inner adventure in young people and gets them outside to explore fun, healthy activities. This voucher program will help reduce the financial burden on families who want their children to enjoy the Scout program, ” said Scouts NSW CEO Andrew Smith AM
Scouts NSW is working closely with the Office of Sport on the most effective way to implement the program and integrate it as seamlessly as possible so that Scouts families can redeem their vouchers easily.
The NSW Government expects to finalise details of how the scheme will operate by November and Scouts NSW will inform Groups as soon as that information becomes available.
You can also find out more by visiting the NSW Government’s Active Kids website www.sport.nsw.gov.au/activekids
FAQ’s about the Active Kids Rebate
What is the Active Kids Rebate program?
The NSW Government will provide a rebate through a voucher system to parents/guardians of school enrolled children. The $100 voucher can be used for registration and participation costs for sport and fitness activities.
The initiative will reduce the barriers to participation and help change the physical activity behaviours of children and young people in NSW.
The majority of children and adolescents in NSW are not meeting the daily recommended levels of physical activity. In 2015, more than 1 in 5 children in NSW was overweight or obese.
Who is eligible to claim the voucher?
Every family in NSW with a child enrolled in school from Kindergarten to year 12 will be eligible for the Active Kids Rebate.
It will not be means tested and one voucher will be available for every child in the family annually over the next four years.
There will be no limits on the number of applications per family, as long as every child is enrolled in school.
What can the voucher be used for?
The voucher can be used for registration or membership fees for after-school, weekend sport and structured physical activity programs, including swimming lessons, from a wide range of providers.
The vouchers will be redeemable through approved sport, fitness and physical activity providers upon registration.
Who will administer the program?
The Office of Sport will work in partnership with Treasury and Service NSW to implement the systems required to enable families to access their voucher through an on-line process.
The Office of Sport will work closely with approved sport, fitness and physical activity providers to support the largely volunteer workforce in implementing streamlined systems to allow users to redeem their vouchers upon registration.
When will the program be introduced?
From January 2018 families will be able to claim their voucher/s online from the NSW Government.
Where can I find more information?
Applications will be facilitated by the Office of Sport. More information will be available on the website as the program details are further developed www.sport.nsw.gov.au/activekids