The peak bodies for athletes with an intellectual impairment, deaf and hard of hearing and blind or visually impaired have reaffirmed their commitment to continue working collaboratively for the benefit of each organisation and the athletes they represent.
The three organisations Sport Inclusion Australia, Deaf Sports Australia and Blind Sports Australia came together formally under the Sport Australia MoveitAUS program in 2019. Since this initial program the three organisations have continued to work collaboratively in an effort to maximise the provision of services, opportunities and programs to their respective cohorts, while at the same time exploring how to minimise duplication and work more cohesively to improve the overall services and to determine an efficient way to use Government funds.
As a result of the MoveitAUS program, Sport Inclusion Australia, Deaf Sports Australia and Blind Sports Australia signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which along with the Sport Australia funding agreement ended on 30 June 2020.
However due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic Sport Australia has extended the funding agreement until 30 June 2021.
Having successfully implemented the June 2019 Funding Agreement, the three organisations have agreed to renew the MOU under the same terms and conditions but have also agreed to explore the benefits of collaboration generally between the parties beyond the projects which were developed as part of the initial June 2019 Funding Agreement.
A joint statement from all three organisations. “Our three organisations have been in operation for many years, each with vast experience in providing inclusive sporting opportunities and programs for our athletes. The last 12 months has re-affirmed our belief that our three organisations share synergies and that working together we have an opportunity to have greater impact for our members. We all look forward to continuing the collaboration and opportunity to develop further collaborative models”
One of those collaborative models may be a new entity model designed to enhance the strengths and synergies of the organisations while at the same time maximising the delivery of programs and services.
The parties recognise the different roles each organisation plays and that by supporting each other’s role the chance of success is greater for all parties.
For further information please contact:
Robyn Smith
0418 979 459
Robyn.smith@siasport.org
Sport Inclusion Australia
Sportinclusionaustralia.org.au
Phil Harper
0434 603 497 (SMS only)
phil.harper@deafsports.org
Deaf Sport Australia
deafsports.org.au
Matthew Clayton
0409 979 907
matt@blindsportsaustralia.com.au
Blind Sports Australia
blindsportsaustralia.com.au