Black Head Surf Life Saving Club

Mr J. H. TURNER (Myall Lakes - Deputy Leader of the National Party) [5.47 p.m.]: What I am about to say in relation to the Black Head Surf Lifesaving Club in my electorate probably applies to all the surf clubs in my electorate and possibly along the New South Wales coast. Black Head Surf Life Saving Club has written to me in relation to funding. All surf clubs have difficulty with funding, particularly those as remote as the Black Head Surf Life Saving Club.

I am proud to be a patron of that club, which this year is celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary of service to the community. I am proud of its achievements. Because of its geographical location, the club draws its membership from a far-reaching area including Black Head, Red Head, Diamond Beach, Failford, Nabiac, Possum Brush, Krambach, Wallabi Point, Taree and Wingham. Over the past 75 years it has been traditional for the club to draw its membership from those areas, but it is now finding that it is more difficult to do so.

The club owns and maintains its premises, which are located on a very beautiful site, but that is proving to be a significant drain on its ability to function. The club, which provides for a unique lifestyle, ensures that the beach is safe and enjoyable at all times. Use of that beach varies, depending on the season. It is a popular beach during the summer season, when many people visit the area. The club, which does not want to take funding away from other organisations, provides a year-round service for the advantage of those who are not necessarily members of the club, unlike other sports clubs, which tend to provide services only for their members.

The club has a proud history of promoting its junior members. It trains between 80 and 130 nippers each Sunday morning during the season; it has 70 patrolling members in the senior club; and it also has about 80 associate members. As I said earlier, the club has been carrying out this community service for the past 75 years. The club contacted me to determine whether any funding could be made available to it to assist it in performing its day-to-day operations. At present a
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central body distributes funding to surf life saving clubs, which is working fairly well.

The club has been the recipient of some sport and recreational capital assistance grants, which have greatly improved its facilities. Nevertheless, in this modern era, additional costs can be incurred for maintaining and operating things like rubber ducks. Some clubs use volunteer labour to assist them in their day-to-day operation and maintenance of rubber ducks, engines and other equipment. As I said earlier, that might not be unique to the Black Head Surf Life Saving Club. Surf life saving clubs might have to consider a new funding regime as more modern technology comes on board. Black Head Surf Life Saving Club asked me to highlight its plight. It stated in a letter to me:

. . . I would appreciate any advice you could provide, to assist the club with regards to applying for grants or special funding which could be made available to ensure the club is able to continue to provide the high quality of service to the community throughout the current and future seasons.

This Government, or any other organisation, might be able to help Black Head Surf Life Saving Club and some of the more remote clubs. Honourable members should bear in mind that all clubs become a little tough as they become more remote. It is more difficult to get members and to raise funds in smaller communities. A raffle organised in a community such as Black Head would not raise the same amount of money as would a raffle in Newcastle or an area in Sydney.

I said earlier that I am proud to be a patron of the club. I commend it for its magnificent service over the past 75 years. We must ensure that it receives adequate funding to enable it to continue, over the next 75 years or more, to provide those valuable and important services not only for the people of that area but also for the many tourists who visit that beautiful part of New South Wales.

Mr FACE (Charlestown - Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Hunter Development) [5.52 p.m.]: I commend the honourable member for Myall Lakes for his contribution tonight and I thank him, the honourable member for Coffs Harbour and other honourable members for the mature way in which they supported recent amendments to legislation that will assist surf life saving clubs to hold their traditional coldies. I am happy to inform the House that those functions are now legal.

I attended one of those functions on Sunday night. It is nice to be able to attend a function of that sort that is not legal. Attending that legal function on Sunday night took a bit of fun out of the event. No club would be affected more than the club in the electorate of the honourable member for Myall Lakes. Many holiday-makers who travel in caravans spend time over the Christmas period in the Myall Lakes electorate. The holding of these functions is one of the ways in which clubs can make a few bob and it does not do anyone any harm.

I wish to refer to a matter that has been raised in the last few days. Someone is peddling mischief or is misunderstanding something. It has been suggested that the Government or someone in my department is going to remove the charitable status from surf life saving clubs. I have received two letters concerning this problem, which has emerged only in the Illawarra area. I am one of the fiercest defenders of surf life saving clubs, having been a member of such a club for the past 38 years.

I can inform honourable members that there are no plans afoot to take away that status. People may have become confused because when this charitable status was introduced, category one of the community fund associated with licensed clubs was not available. I have now rectified that problem to enable clubs to comply with that provision. Only the other day the Belmont 16-footers club made available a beach trike with a surfboard for that purpose. I will undertake to inform all honourable members of events so that they can equally inform surf clubs in their electorates about these matters. Money is badly needed for surf life saving clubs in our State.