Sport NSW scrambles for clarity on Active Kids vouchers from government

Furious parents have hit out after revelations the Minns’ government may break a pre-election pledge and scrap the popular $100 Active Kids Voucher sports scheme. Poll: Have your say.

Parents of school-aged kids could be forced to fork out $100 extra to pay for their children’s sporting programs from June, as the government considers breaking a pre-election pledge to extend a popular cost-of-living measure.

The Minns government is now considering allowing the Active Kids program to end next month, in what would be a major backflip.

The vouchers – giving parents $100 per child for sport and recreation – are being reviewed as part of the government’s pre-budget razor gang.

Parents were furious over the scheme’s possible scrapping.

“Great scheme. Encouraging children to participate in sport. I have been involved with junior sport for several decades and see many families where this will mean the difference between affording the activity or not. Governments need to be more accountable with their election promises. They are an absolute disgrace,” one parent told The Daily Telegraph.

Another reader said: “As someone involved in the learn to swim industry, removing these vouchers will be a disaster and could cost lives. Since their inception, these vouchers have given tens of thousands of kids access to subsidised swimming lessons”.

Before the election Chris Minns said he would “roll over” Active Kids vouchers. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

The Sport NSW peak body is now urgently seeking a meeting with new Minister Steve Kamper to make the case for the program to be extended.

The previous government did not commit any funding for the program beyond this financial year, but former Premier Dominic Perrottet had pledged to continue the vouchers if re-elected.

Premier Chris Minns also declared that he would extend the scheme if he won government.

“We’re going to roll them over,” Mr Minns said in March.

He said Labor was “looking to” commit to the program for another year.

If the program ends after June 30, as previously planned, parents would be forced to forfeit any unused vouchers.

A government spokeswoman says the program is under review. Picture: David Swift

Former Premier Gladys Berejiklian doubled the Active Kids program 2019, giving parents two $100 vouchers every year to spend getting their kids active.

Late last year, the Perrottet government further expanded the program, allowing parents to use the vouchers on school holiday sports and recreation activities.

At the time, then-Treasurer Matt Kean said that since its inception, families had redeemed more than 4.67 million vouchers – saving families $462 million.

Sports NSW wants a meeting with new Minister Steve Kamper (Right). Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

The Daily Telegraph understands that Sport NSW CEO Stuart Hodge wrote to Sport Minister Steve Kamper on Monday seeking an urgent meeting to clarify the voucher program’s future.

The peak body is understood to be concerned that the program will not proceed beyond June 30 leaving families with unused vouchers out of pocket.

The cost of living measure is one of a raft of programs being examined by Finance Minister Courtney Houssos in the lead up to the Minns government’s first budget in September.

Ms Houssos and Treasurer Daniel Mookhey launched the “Comprehensive Expenditure Review” last month in a bid to get a clearer picture of the state’s spending.

A government spokeswoman last night said “all programs” are subject to this review.

“As we go through line by line we are discovering more unfunded programs and budget blackholes,” she said.

“The fact of the matter is the former Government terminated the program on 30 June 2023”.