Oscar Parry
State representatives visited Sunbury Heights Primary school last week to announce another round of $200 local sport vouchers on offer for eligible families.
At the announcement event on Monday, October 7, Premier Jacinta Allan, Community Sport Minister Ros Spence, and Sunbury MP Josh Bull introduced the next round of the Get Active Kids Voucher Program.
The program offers vouchers of up to $200 per child to families to help cover the costs of children aged up to 18 years old joining a local sports club or trying a new activity.
Eligible families who hold health care cards or other concession cards can apply for the vouchers, which go towards sports memberships, registration fees, uniforms, and equipment.
Sunbury Heights Primary School principal Laban Toose said he welcomed the next round of the program.
“They’re really important, particularly around Sunbury,” Mr Toose said.
“We’ve got a lot of activities and a lot of sports groups that kids rely on as part of their wellbeing, so [it was] a great opportunity to hear what was happening and to be involved,” he said.
Ms Spence said about 150,000 vouchers have been claimed through previous rounds of the program and that data shows that about 50 per cent of recipients would not have been able to participate in community sport without the vouchers.
“We recently received an email from a young footballer in Bundoora who has said the voucher helped cover the cost of most of his registrations for the past two rounds of footy … this has reduced the financial burden on his mum,” Ms Spence said.
Ms Allan said the program aims to assist busy families by making sure every child can get active this summer.
Special consideration is available for children in care, temporary or provisional visa holders, migrants, and international students.
Families can apply for the vouchers online before redeeming them at an activity provider such as a local sporting club.
$6 million was allocated in the state budget to extend the program.
