Pittwater MP leads campaign to save Active Kids Vouchers
Rory Amon is leading a fight by local clubs to pressure the State Government to continue the popular Active Kids Voucher program.
Introduced by the Liberals when in government several years ago, the Active and Creative Kids Vouchers allow parents of school children to redeem $100 against sporting and cultural activities. There are three vouchers available a year per child, and they are not means tested.
The new Labor Government has refused to guarantee the continuation of the scheme beyond June 30 this year, with Premier Chris Minns saying there was no budget for the multi-million dollar scheme.
Mr Amon said Labor had broken an election promise to keep the vouchers.
“A lot of sporting organisations have built their registration fees around Active Kids to make it easier for parents,” he said. “With interest rates and inflation increasing, people are really under the pump like never before.
“This proposed cut would really hit them.”
Local sporting clubs have come out strongly in support of the scheme, with Surf Living Saving (Northern Beaches) estimating it could lose up to 2,000 children from junior activities if Active Kids was cancelled. “Without nippers, we lose our future volunteer lifesavers,” SLSNB president Tracey Hare-Boyd said.
Similarly, Manly Warringah Basketball Association believes 1,000 children would stop playing the sport if the vouchers were scrapped. “Local school children use between 1,500 to 1,800 vouchers each year, and vouchers account for 30 to 40 per cent of the cost of activities,” association president Steve Ramage said. Manly Warringah Football Association said the program had been “instrumental” in leading children to sign up and become football players for life. Families on the Northern Beaches would be ‘worse off’ without the program, chief executive officer David Mason said.
Mr Amon said he had so far gathered 3,000 signatures for an online petition. “This is not a discreet project in an electorate which we’re trying to advocate for. This affects everyone, everywhere with kids.
“Our hope is that this will bring enough pressure to bear upon the government and that Labor will make the sensible decision to retain the funding.”