Facilities and Access
Aboriginal People

If your sport organisation is seeking funding for a facility upgrade, or you are involved in development of a brand new facility, it is important to consider the following:

• A great way to ensure your facility meets the needs of Aboriginal people is to consult with community leaders or partner organisations during the design phase.
• Will the facility be accessible to all? A great way to ensure accessibility is to familiarise yourself with the principals of Universal Design in planning for sport.
• Another great resource is the Sport and Recreation Victoria: Female Friendly Sport Infrastructure Guidelines

Consider how you could make cost-effective changes to your existing buildings and spaces to promote a culturally safe and welcoming environment. If you acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture through the physical space in which your sport is conducted, you will enable a more welcoming environment. This could mean:

• Installing a plaque which acknowledges the traditional owners of the land.
• Placing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags somewhere visible to everyone. For more information about the Aboriginal flag, click here.

Proving a welcoming environment is also about the culture of your organisation. To find out more, refer to the Cultural Awareness Training information the Leadership section of this resource.

Not all sport facilities are dedicated buildings, and a key trend in the delivery of sport opportunities is to offer sporting activities in the environment in which your target population are based. During the State Sport Association Participation Program Canoeing Victoria delivered programs in two regions – Mildura and Gippsland, which were found to be an effective way of increasing participation through a locally based delivery program. Across the three year program, over 1,000 Aboriginal people participated in canoeing activities.

The VicHealth evaluation of the State Sport Association Participation Program found that time, cost, location and transport are the main barriers to participation, particularly for people not currently involved in sport. Therefore, sports need to consider ways to overcome or work around these barriers.

There are common approaches being used by sport organisations across the country to make sport activities more accessible to everyone. These approaches apply to all users, and therefore can benefit your aim to increase participation by Aboriginal people.

Make sport fun

Feedback from sport organisations working with Aboriginal people, and surveys such as the AusPlay national participation survey, have highlighted that a key driver for people to get involved in sport is the social connections and friendships they make, and the joy of participating together. The power of a fun environment should never be underestimated.

Part of making sport fun is having coaches who know how to adapt and modify programs. The Australian Sports Commission has information to support coaches to be inclusive here.

Address barriers

Sporting participation can at times be expensive, and where there is a lack of affordability this becomes a barrier to participation. Costs for competition entry fees, club memberships, equipment and travel have been identified as barriers to sporting participation from many different population groups.

Your organisation can help people participate by offering financial assistance where possible. This may be enabled by a grant you receive from the state government, your local council, or your state sporting association. Some Aboriginal community organisations offer financial assistance to members of their local community to play sport, so having a connection with local organisations may assist you to capitalise on the support available.

It is very important to ensure you are equal in your approach. Financial assistance should be available for all who need it. A universal approach to providing financial support means there is less chance of stigmatising particular groups and ensures a greater take up of support from those who would otherwise not participate due to financial barriers. You might also consider providing variable fee structures for different activities, or staggered payments for memberships, thereby providing greater flexibility for interested participants.

When working with Aboriginal people it is useful to consider the language you use in written and verbal communications. This is consistent with your approach becoming a welcoming and inclusive sport organisation – language should always be respectful, positive and designed with consideration of your participant’s needs.

Some things you can do to ensure you communicate effectively with Aboriginal people include:

• Ask: if you are unsure about what is appropriate communication to use, speak to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are involved in your organisation as leaders, volunteers or players and listen to their suggestions.
• Consult: Identify local leaders and community groups, such as Aboriginal Co-operatives, to partner with because they can help you identify the most appropriate forms of communication for the local community.
• Consider your method: for example, if you are working with a remote community, consider which method of communication will be the most effective, such as face to face or communication through community elders and leaders.
• Be respectful: be careful not to make broad assumptions or use insensitive or discriminatory language. Remember, if in doubt, ask!

NSW Health have a resource you can access – Communicating positively: a guide to appropriate Aboriginal terminology.

If you need to arrange an interpreter to assist with communication, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection has a translation service.