ANNUAL REPORT 2019 CONTENTS Message from Sport Australia . 3 Our Partners in Sport . 4 Our Year in Focus . 5 President’s Report . 5 Chief Executive Officer’s Report . 7 Strategic Plan . 10 Our People . 19 Board of Directors . 19 PA Corporate Office . 20 Life Members . 21 Hall of Fame . 22 Committees . 23 Our Award Winners 2018-19 . 24 Our Membership . 25 Our Members .. 27 Paddle NSW . 27 Paddle QLD . 29 Paddle SA . 31 Paddle TAS . 33 Paddle VIC . 35 Paddle WA .. 37 Our Participation . 39 Our Performance . 40 High Performance .. .. .. .. .. .. 40 Canoe Slalom Pathways . 44 Canoe Sprint Pathways . 45 Canoe Freestyle . 46 Canoe Marathon . .. 47 Canoe Ocean Racing . 48 Canoe Polo . 49 Canoe Slalom .. 51 Canoe Sprint . 52 Wildwater Canoeing . 54 Our Teams . 55 Financial Statements . 58 Paddle Australia presents this report to its members and external stakeholders for the purpose of reporting operational and financial performance for the period July 1 2018 to June 30 2019 . ABN 61 189 833 125 . paddle.org.au Paddle Australia Annual Report 2019 2 A MESSAGE FROM SPORT AUSTRALIA Sport and physical activity has enormous influence on our the very best in our sporting organisations . The One nation’s health, education, social, economic and diplomatic Management project looks at helping sports align their outcomes . It’s why Sport Australia and the AIS remain strategy, workforce and financial management . steadfast in our vision: to make Australia the world’s most active sporting nation, known for its integrity, sporting The AIS, in partnership with the National Institute Network success and world-leading sports industry . and National Sporting Organisations, is aligning Australia’s high performance sport strategy too . The National High Australia’s commitment, outlined in the Australian Performance Sport Strategy 2024 signals the first time all Government’s national sport plan, Sport 2030, is to reduce Federal and State/Territory sports agencies have signed up physical inactivity by 15 per cent . It’s a huge challenge Sport to a joint high performance strategy . Australia enthusiastically accepts . In November 2018, the AIS announced an updated We are making significant progress and Sport Australia’s investment model for high performance sport and through programs are benefitting sport, as well as broader this improved framework, Olympic, Paralympic and community health and wellbeing, including tackling issues Commonwealth Games sports will benefit from a longer such as obesity . Our partnerships with National Sporting term approach to funding . Instead of annual grants to sport, Organisations (NSOs) remain fundamental, but we are for the first time the AIS is providing longer-term funding also engaging more than ever with other networks to commitments to give sports more stability and certainty to grow our sporting industry . Collaboration with physical plan ahead . activity providers, health, education and various levels of Government can deliver more for sport and all Australians . All of this work is important with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics drawing near, and the 2022 Beijing Winter This was highlighted in 2018-19 when Sport Australia, on Games and Paris 2024 beyond that . behalf of the Australian Government, delivered $150million in new participation programs . The $100million Community Enhancing athlete pathways and athlete wellbeing are Sport Infrastructure grants program is enhancing primary areas of focus for the AIS, and are keys to creating hundreds of grassroots facilities across Australia . The long-term sustainable success . We have embedded 20 $28 9million. Participation grants program is encouraging Athlete Wellbeing Managers across National Sporting innovative programs that help break the down barriers to Organisations, and, working closely with the AIS Wellbeing physical activity . The new $22 .9million Better Ageing grants and Engagement team, are delivering key programs and program is helping senior Australians 65 and older to get support from mental health programs, through to career more active and socially connected . guidance and connection to Australians at the community level . Our national Sporting Schools program remains a key platform to address childhood inactivity and drive The AIS is also leading collaborative sports research, generational change . We have funded 7300 schools and applied technology and innovation initiatives including the recorded more than 5 .2million attendances since its launch Gold Medal Ready program, a unique partnership with the in mid-2015 . We continue to look at ways to maximise the Australian Army to help athletes perform under pressure . impact of Sporting Schools and link it with our work in From backyards to benchmark international events, we physical literacy . By teaching our children to run, throw, believe unquestionably in the power of sport and physical jump or kick, we put them on the path to better lives . activity to reflect the very best in our culture and to be a There is no success without integrity . We continue to powerful vehicle for change . encourage environments that are inclusive and welcoming . Thank you for all you do for Australian sport and best Increasing diversity in our industry is critical and we want wishes for the year ahead . to make sport the benchmark for a more equitable society . All this work is emphasised by our national behaviour change campaign, Move It AUS . Our call to action is to ‘Find Your 30’ minutes of physical activity every day, and enjoy the benefits . We are continuing to build the capability of the sports John Wylie AM, Chair, Sport Australia industry, addressing governance reform to bring out Paddle Australia Annual Report 2019 3 OUR PARTNERS IN SPORT Principal Partner Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport are our principal funding partners, providing high performance and sport development resources for Paddle Australia . We wish to recognise Sport Australia and the AIS High Performance Program for their continuing investment in the sport of paddling . Program Partners Paddle Australia relies heavily on its Olympic profile to create participation and development opportunities . The ongoing support of the Australian Olympic Committee and the Paralympics Australia are vital . Our relationships with the national sport academy and sport institute network are the foundation for providing elite paddling opportunities to talented athletes Australia wide . The support of state and local government can never be underestimated . Sport Partners Paddle Australia would like to thank our State Member Associations and to acknowledge their work in developing and promoting paddling . NSW QLD SA TAS VIC WA Paddle Australia Annual Report 2019 4 OUR YEAR IN FOCUS President’s Report Success for a national sporting organisation is so often Important work undertaken during the year includes measured with numbers; the number of medals won, the the development of the PA Child Safety Framework, number of participants, the amount of revenue raised . establishment of the Competition Committee and reviewing During 2018-19, however, it has been the willingness of the the Canoe Sprint High Performance Program . Even paddling community to work collaboratively that has defined though PA achieved a high rating of 98% from the annual the success of Paddle Australia (PA) as an organisation . It governance review by SA, continued improvement is helping has been a year of working together towards achieving us to operate more effectively and to reduce risk . The work strategic outcomes and finding solutions to long-standing of the Audit and Risk, Ethics and Integrity, and Nominations issues through informed decision-making . The cultural shift Committees, as well as the Athletes Commission, is of huge to being a strategically driven organisation, engaged with value in assisting the PA Board and senior management in and uniting a broader paddling community is well underway . these areas . Priorities from the Strategic Plan for Paddling in Australia The National Paddling Forum, held in April, saw the first have focussed this year on outcomes that are essential meeting of the Competition Committee that will work on for the sustainability of the sport . The implementation issues of common interest across all of the competitive of the new membership and events portal will enable disciplines . a streamlined, contemporary method for managing membership . The United Paddling Management (UPM) Inspiring paddling performances came in different forms . project aims to reduce inefficiencies in organisational Jess Fox and Curtis McGrath added further gold to their structure and practices, and to increase the consistency collections when they became dual World Champions and quality of the ‘customer’ experience . during 2018 . Proving that paddling success is not all about gold medals though, Jess took Curtis for a paddle at Penrith . Sport Australia (SA) has provided financial support for the Watching the world’s most successful individual paddlers development of a model for UPM over a 12-month period, in their disciplines having fun together on whitewater was a with PA being only one of two sports to receive this funding . memorable paddling moment . Paddling 4000km down the The importance of continuing to work collaboratively on the Nile River, from source to sea, Sarah Davis provided us with UPM model during the coming year cannot be emphasised inspiration to accept challenges and fulfil paddling dreams . enough . With such limited resources,