ANTHONY ALBANESE MP
PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA

SENATOR THE HON KATY GALLAGHER
MINISTER FOR FINANCE
MINISTER FOR WOMEN
MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE

CATHERINE KING MP
MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

ANIKA WELLS MP
MINISTER FOR SPORT
MINISTER FOR AGED CARE

YVETTE BERRY MLA
ACTING CHIEF MINISTER OF THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
ACT MINISTER FOR SPORT AND RECREATION 

INVESTING IN A BETTER FUTURE FOR AUSSIE ATHLETES

In the lead up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Albanese Government is ensuring the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra remains the destination for Australia’s elite athletes to train, develop and ultimately succeed.
 
In the 2024-25 Budget, the Albanese Government will invest $249.7 million in the AIS’s facilities in Bruce, ensuring they are modern and fit-for-purpose for Australia’s elite and aspiring athletes.
 
We will deliver:

• An accessible multi-story accommodation facility.
• A multi sports dome to provide an all-weather, multi-sport indoor training facility with integrated facilities for testing and analysis.
• A new High-Performance Training and Testing Centre.

 
In addition, there will be a further $10 million for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts to work with the ACT Government to develop a Bruce Precinct Masterplan – ensuring the Bruce site is welcoming and fit for purpose for visitors, athletes and their families alike.
 
Funding will be provisioned in the Budget while a detailed business plan for the AIS site redevelopment is finalised.
 
These commitments reflect the recommendations made in the recent independent review into AIS Infrastructure and help ensure our high-performance athletes have access to world-class facilities that best support Australia’s sporting success.
 
‘A Fit for Purpose Australian Institute of Sport: An independent review’ can now be found here. The Government’s full response to the review will be released shortly.
 
The ACT was ignored by the previous government, and the condition of the AIS is just one demonstration of that.
 
For over a decade the Liberals and Nationals did nothing to invest in the future of Australia’s elite athletes, and did nothing to support infrastructure for those living and working in the ACT.
 
We are getting on with delivering a better future for all Australians, one made in Australia that builds opportunity and thriving communities.
 
Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
 
“We want to give our athletes the best chance of bringing home gold at Brisbane and every competition before and after those games.
 
“The upcoming Budget will ensure the Australian Institute of Sport remains in the Capital, where it belongs, and ensure it once again becomes the world-leading high-performance centre it was designed to be.
 
“What is crystal clear is that under my Government – Canberra will always get the support, investment and respect that Australia’s national capital deserves.”
 
Quotes attributable to Minister for Finance, Katy Gallagher:
 
“For more than 40 years, the Australian Institute of Sport has been a much-loved venue for athletes, for Canberra locals and for visitors to the ACT.
 
“It’s played host to school excursions, sporting matches and concerts, but we know in recent years it’s fallen into disrepair due to inaction from the Liberals and Nationals.
 
“The Albanese Government is investing almost $250 million into the AIS so it can once again become the vibrant community hub that Canberrans know and love.”
 
Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King:
 
“The Australian Institute of Sport should be a place where elite athletes want to be to help achieve their full potential.
 
“We are investing in the Institute so it can be that place.”
 
Quotes attributable to Minister for Sport, Anika Wells:
 
“For 2032 Games success, the need for sport investment is now as we know it takes up to eight years to prepare an athlete for the highest level of competition.
 
“When it was first built, the AIS was so successful in preparing our medal winning athletes that it was replicated by sporting nations around the world and became the benchmark for achieving athletic success.
 
“Today, our government is investing in the AIS so we reach those benchmarks again as we commit to delivering world standard training facilities ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
 
Quotes attributable to ACT Acting Chief Minister, Yvette Berry:
 
“This is a great day for Canberra. The commitment to the AIS in Canberra will not only create local jobs, but it also appropriately recognises the city’s role as the nation’s capital.
 
“It places the Institute and its facilities at the heart of a modern sports, health and education precinct in Bruce for decades to come.
 
“We welcome the Albanese’s Government plan to restore this national asset and to work together to plan for the precinct’s future.
 
“I also acknowledge the advocacy of the many local sporting groups and Canberrans who have continued to passionately advocate for the AIS’s place in Canberra’s future and who have helped to achieve this outcome.”

FRIDAY 10 MAY 2024