‘Tis the week for Budget leaks and we saw a beauty this morning as the Herald Sun reported that “sport will be a Budget winner. More than $120 million will go to international and domestic sports.”
Importantly, the Hun wrote:
Australia’s medal hopefuls for the 2012 Games in London will get a boost after a warning from Olympic chiefs that national pride could be hurt.
Host nation England has declared it wants to knock off Australia in the medal count and has more than doubled its money for training and poaching coaches.
I think it’s paramount that the English never beat us in anything — ever — again. So I think it’s $120 million well spent.
If it costs even $120 billion to make sure that we don’t hear God Save The Queen at the expense of some poor bronzed Aussie battler from Dubbo then I think it’s $120 billion that can be justified.
But there will be a backlash against this Rudd/Swan largess gifted to our struggling athletes (some can’t afford to shave such as the Brisbane Lions’ Travis Johnstone), especially considering rising interest rates, housing affordability issues and larger economic concerns such as Greece and fat Citigroup brokers who can’t type properly.
So what do you think dear reader?
Is spending extra money — your money — on sport worth it?
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