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Humus
Guest
Plan to pull plug on anti-siphoning
SPORT REVIEW
A Federal Government task force has recommended the eventual relaxation of
anti-siphoning laws to allow major sports to be shown only on pay
television.
However, the task force said relaxation of the laws - which ensure major
sporting events are shown on free-to-air TV - would only come after a
dramatic rise in pay TV subscriptions. And a condition of any law changes
should be that sports paid a fixed percentage of TV broadcasting rights into
a sports funding pool - these funds to be used to assist the development of
other sports that did not have the capacity to be self-sustaining.
The task force, commissioned by Federal Sports Minister Jackie Kelly and
chaired by former Australian Football League chief executive Ross Oakley,
handed down its report, Shaping Up; a review of Commonwealth Involvement in
Sport and Recreation in Australia,
yesterday.
The report recommended athletes pay back some of their earnings to the
Government via a Higher Education Contribution Scheme-type system, and
separation of the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Sports
Commission.
Also, it said, revenue from broadcasting rights was a potentially large
source of funding for sport and recreation.
''It [the task force] believes that over time the pay-TV market penetration
will increase, and when this occurs, the government would be able to relax
anti-siphoning laws,'' the report said. ''The task force recommends that,
when appropriate, the Commonwealth agree to removing sports from the
anti-siphoning legislation, only in return for sports paying a fixed
percentage of TV broadcasting rights into a sports funding pool.''
Anti-siphoning laws were passed in 1995 to ensure certain major sporting
events were not lost from free-to-air television to pay TV.
The report said the changes had created an oligopoly among free-to-air
stations, which had no obligation to show events, and this had limited the
earning potential of national sporting organisations.
Oakley, though, said any relaxing of the legislation was dependent on the
distribution of pay TV.
''When the time comes, and we don't know when that time will be, it may be
eased on some sports before others, those that could do with the coverage,''
he said.
''That's a possibility. Provided they're prepared to put a bit into the
central pot. I don't see it as selecting out any sports.
''It may be that some sports seek the government out in due course, saying,
'please take the anti-siphoning laws off our sport, we're happy to
contribute'.''
Oakley said it was inevitable that pay TV usage would increase, and the
government should use that to fund sport.
''We're saying when that occurs, then you should be able to negotiate a
position that provides some money for sport generally,'' he added. ''It
would go into Commonwealth Government sports coffers and go back into other
sports.''
The task force received more than 80 written submissions, the report being
co-written by former rugby union player and coach Richard Marks, women's
hockey president Pam Tye, and Basketball Australia board member Dr Adrian
Hurley.
''I think it's quite fair for those television sports that draw mass crowd
viewing to ... show some responsibility in subsidising the less fortunate
ones,'' Marks said.
Oakley suggested that the amount of money that could be raised from Internet
gambling was huge. ''We think there are substantial dollars, millions of
dollars, to be earned in that way,'' he said.''
Such gambling profits, Oakley said, would be returned to sport. ''We're
suggesting that funding to Active Australia could be doubled, that's how
important we see increasing the physical activity, so there is a need for
those funds.''
Oakley said the recommendation for an Athletes Contribution Scheme was
appropriate. ''It's not unreasonable to expect those athletes that are now
making substantial money from the training that they've received through
government funding to contribute something back,'' he said.
The report said the separation of the AIS and ASC would lead to less
bureaucracy and more contestability and competition.
A spokesman for Kelly said she welcomed the report, but had ''expressed some
apprehension at the idea of increased gambling, making athletes pay any more
than they do, and any change to the independence of ASDA [the Australian
Sports Drug Agency]''.
AAP
SPORT REVIEW
A Federal Government task force has recommended the eventual relaxation of
anti-siphoning laws to allow major sports to be shown only on pay
television.
However, the task force said relaxation of the laws - which ensure major
sporting events are shown on free-to-air TV - would only come after a
dramatic rise in pay TV subscriptions. And a condition of any law changes
should be that sports paid a fixed percentage of TV broadcasting rights into
a sports funding pool - these funds to be used to assist the development of
other sports that did not have the capacity to be self-sustaining.
The task force, commissioned by Federal Sports Minister Jackie Kelly and
chaired by former Australian Football League chief executive Ross Oakley,
handed down its report, Shaping Up; a review of Commonwealth Involvement in
Sport and Recreation in Australia,
yesterday.
The report recommended athletes pay back some of their earnings to the
Government via a Higher Education Contribution Scheme-type system, and
separation of the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Sports
Commission.
Also, it said, revenue from broadcasting rights was a potentially large
source of funding for sport and recreation.
''It [the task force] believes that over time the pay-TV market penetration
will increase, and when this occurs, the government would be able to relax
anti-siphoning laws,'' the report said. ''The task force recommends that,
when appropriate, the Commonwealth agree to removing sports from the
anti-siphoning legislation, only in return for sports paying a fixed
percentage of TV broadcasting rights into a sports funding pool.''
Anti-siphoning laws were passed in 1995 to ensure certain major sporting
events were not lost from free-to-air television to pay TV.
The report said the changes had created an oligopoly among free-to-air
stations, which had no obligation to show events, and this had limited the
earning potential of national sporting organisations.
Oakley, though, said any relaxing of the legislation was dependent on the
distribution of pay TV.
''When the time comes, and we don't know when that time will be, it may be
eased on some sports before others, those that could do with the coverage,''
he said.
''That's a possibility. Provided they're prepared to put a bit into the
central pot. I don't see it as selecting out any sports.
''It may be that some sports seek the government out in due course, saying,
'please take the anti-siphoning laws off our sport, we're happy to
contribute'.''
Oakley said it was inevitable that pay TV usage would increase, and the
government should use that to fund sport.
''We're saying when that occurs, then you should be able to negotiate a
position that provides some money for sport generally,'' he added. ''It
would go into Commonwealth Government sports coffers and go back into other
sports.''
The task force received more than 80 written submissions, the report being
co-written by former rugby union player and coach Richard Marks, women's
hockey president Pam Tye, and Basketball Australia board member Dr Adrian
Hurley.
''I think it's quite fair for those television sports that draw mass crowd
viewing to ... show some responsibility in subsidising the less fortunate
ones,'' Marks said.
Oakley suggested that the amount of money that could be raised from Internet
gambling was huge. ''We think there are substantial dollars, millions of
dollars, to be earned in that way,'' he said.''
Such gambling profits, Oakley said, would be returned to sport. ''We're
suggesting that funding to Active Australia could be doubled, that's how
important we see increasing the physical activity, so there is a need for
those funds.''
Oakley said the recommendation for an Athletes Contribution Scheme was
appropriate. ''It's not unreasonable to expect those athletes that are now
making substantial money from the training that they've received through
government funding to contribute something back,'' he said.
The report said the separation of the AIS and ASC would lead to less
bureaucracy and more contestability and competition.
A spokesman for Kelly said she welcomed the report, but had ''expressed some
apprehension at the idea of increased gambling, making athletes pay any more
than they do, and any change to the independence of ASDA [the Australian
Sports Drug Agency]''.
AAP
