The Allan Labor Government is backing two new initiatives to drive employment and help people with disability participate in the sports they love.
Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence today announced that two organisations – Disability Sport and Recreation (DSR) and Leisure Networks – will share in $5 million from the All Abilities Workforce and Sector Support Program 2024-27 to develop resources and programs to help more people get involved in sport, with a focus on people living in regional and rural Victoria.
DSR works to create opportunities for people with disability to get involved in sport and recreation, and the grant will support DSR to establish a Learning and Development Hub that offers training courses and online resources on coaching to workforce skill development.
Leisure Networks, based in Geelong, coordinate a wide range of disability services and programs across the state, and the grant will help them to establish stronger networks across regional Victoria to help more people with a disability land a job working in sport.
Both organisations will work in partnership with local councils, community and sporting organisations and universities to create evidence-based initiatives.
With more than one million people in Victoria living with disability, and only 55 per cent participating in sport and recreation, the All Abilities Workforce and Sector Support Program 2024-27 is helping the state’s sport and recreation workforce to welcome more people with disability.
Increasing opportunities so that more Victorians have a chance to participate in sport and active recreation is a key focus of the Labor Government’s Active Victoria 2022-2026 – A strategic framework for sport and active recreation in Victoria.
For more information about the All Abilities Workforce and Sector Support Program visit
As stated by Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence
“We are supporting these organisations to make a real difference for people with disability to get involved in sport – with a focus on people living in regional and rural areas.”
“These two great initiatives will mean even more Victorians with a disability can score great jobs in sport, whether as instructors, coaches, volunteers or administrators.”
As stated by Member for Geelong Christine Couzens
“Leisure Networks do great work for our Geelong community and regional Victorians more broadly – this grant will make a world of difference to support their work. People with disabilities should have the same access as anyone else and the work of Leisure Networks is another step towards inclusion.”
As stated by Member for Lara Ella George
“Disability should not be a barrier to work in any industry. These initiatives will help break down the unfair barriers that people with a disability face including those in the Greater Geelong area.”
As stated by Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant
“These great initiatives will be a game changer for people with a disability in the Bellarine community, providing support to get involved in the sports they love closer to home.”
