Media Release

24 July 2018: KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has applauded the news that aspiring athletes in rural and remote locations throughout Kennedy that need to travel for competition will be eligible to receive up to $750 in a support grant to bolster the significant travel and accommodation costs.

The Local Sporting Champions (LSC) program commenced on 1 July this year as a result of the 2018 Federal Budget which featured a funding boost of $11.8 million for the next four years; supporting more than 9,000 children across Australia in the next year alone.

The LSC provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 participating in state, national or international championships.

Mr Katter said that Kennedy was one of the best producers of sporting talents in the country and urges all young athletes that need to compete in representative sport to apply for the grant which will happen in three rounds this year; the second round out now and due to close on 31 October.

“In the very glamourous and premier sport of rugby league, Kayln Ponga and Coen Hess of Mount Isa will play for Australia this year or next; and they are only two contemporaries of a long line of superstars that have roots in Kennedy. They have had to travel a thousand kilometres to play serious competitive football.

“Last year, Jake Lillyman from Richmond and Justin O’Neil from Hughenden were in the Australian Rugby League team.

“Similarly with our Mid-Western and Gulf boys; the year before last we had five playing NRL – again, having travelled a thousand kilometres to play serious competitive football.

“Not only that, but I personally have spent a year of my life getting our Mid-Western/Gulf boys into trials that would see them through to representative football.

“15,000 people have moved out of the Mid-West, Gulf and Mount Isa into the Brisbane’s of this world; forced out by Government decisions like deregulation of the wool industry and the privatisation of rail, Telstra and electricity.

“To enrich the talent and competitiveness of Queensland, country boys and girls are in a unique position to concentrate and compete much more than their city counterparts whose opportunities for amusement are endless.

“And that is why Mount Isa has produced nearly a dozen State of Origin players; and I ask, where else would you find a group of 20,000 people in Australia that has anything like that record?

“We appreciate this little bit of assistance and we must make sure that we get a hundred good quality applications, because that will be time well spent.”

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