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INTRODUCTION

Sports and physical recreation facilities can be divided into those which are buildings and those which are not. The former include gymnasia, bowling alleys, ice-skating rinks, squash centres, indoor sports stadia and the building component of outdoor sports stadia. The latter include golf courses, tennis courts, racecourses, outdoor swimming pools, sports grounds and the non-building component of outdoor sports stadia.

Information regarding sports and physical recreation buildings has been sourced from the Building Approvals collection. Details of approved building jobs (including expected value on completion) are collected each month from all local government and other approving authorities. The ABS uses the Functional Classification of Buildings to categorise these jobs according to the intended use of the building when completed. One category in the classification is Entertainment and recreation buildings. Examination of the details of individual building jobs allocated to this category has made it possible to isolate those concerned with sports and physical recreation from the remainder of the category.

Information regarding sports and physical recreation facilities other than buildings has been sourced from the quarterly Engineering Construction Survey (ECS) for the category Recreation. The ECS aims to measure the value of all engineering construction work undertaken in Australia. Its scope consists of all business units recorded on the ABS central register of businesses as having engineering construction as their main activity, together with all other units known to be undertaking a significant level of this type of work.

Information about the availability of sports facilities to discrete Indigenous communities was obtained from the Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey. This was conducted throughout Australia between March and June 2001.

Chapter 10 includes information about the operation of Sports and physical recreation venues, grounds and facilities, and Chapter 9 includes information about government funding to support their operation. The purpose of this chapter is to present information about the construction of these facilities, and their availability to discrete Indigenous communities.