The Rudd Government will reform the delivery of our elite sporting programs to minimise duplication and maximise the benefits and effectiveness of available resources. We must use sports funding smarter, re-committing to science and technology, sharpening and reshaping existing structures and redefining the relationship between the AIS and the state and territory sports institutes and academies to better focus our investment. We will remove the duplication where it exists between the AIS and state institutes and ensure that every dollar being invested in elite programs is being used most effectively. Innovation, research, science and technology will be the drivers of Australian sporting excellence in the decades to come and we will look for ways to work closer with our universities to improve our sport science base. We will prioritize investment in sport science as a key driver of our competitive advantage. We need to put the necessary reforms in place now to resume Australia`s innovative approach to elite sport or risk jeopardising our place as a leading sporting nation. We can lock in beyond doubt the AIS`s reputation as the Harvard of world sport but the Federal Government cannot continue complacently. Some of these reforms will be difficult and controversial but they are necessary. We will also take into account the relationship between the ASC, the AIS, National Sporting Organisations, State Governments and their sporting institutes and academies to find the most effective way of structuring their interdependent relationships. The Rudd Government will appoint an independent panel to advise upon the best means to implement such change.
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