Ms O’CONNOR question to the MINISTER for SPORT and EVENTS, Mr DUIGAN
I want to ask you about the issue of concussion in sport. I note that your sometimes colleague in the lower House, Mr Jenner, asked a question of you about this today. In recent years, there has been a growing body of research about the dangers of concussion and repeated head-knocks sustained in sport. We all know they can have lifetime consequences.
In March this year the AFL issued updated community guidelines on managing the issue. In June, the Australian Institute of Sport released a general policy for youth in community sport. We have a big challenge here in making sure local clubs, schools, parents, coaches and players understand how to prevent concussion. There is a lot of detail in these guidelines and a lot of change from past practices.
Are you able to provide an update on any current actions being undertaken by the government to help improve community awareness of the risks of concussion and repeated head-knocks and what can be done to mitigate those risks and of any best-practice guidelines that are being developed?
ANSWER
Mr President, I thank the member for the question and note the growing awareness of this potentially very serious issue emerging in our sporting codes. I note that the Premier responded to the member in the other place this morning regarding this issue. Typically, it is work being conducted largely at the elite level and feeding down into community sport. We would be seeking to leverage off that work being done at our elite code level. I will quickly seek some advice to see if there is something more I can bring to you in the Tasmanian sporting context.
Yes, I reinforce the fact that we would be guided by the work that is happening among those elite codes and noting that it is feeding down into lower-tier levels. We will be guided by that work and seek to understand how best the government fits into the ongoing needs in that area.
Ms O’Connor – Can I ask a supplementary after the member for McIntyre? Thank you.
Mr PRESIDENT – Certainly.
