Sports facilities in the Electorate of Cessnock can apply for their share of $500,000 in funding from the NSW Government for new life-saving defibrillators.
The equipment is funded under the NSW Government’s Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program which provides up to $3,000 to eligible sporting organisations for the purchase of automated external defibrillators at sports facilities.
Since the program commenced, more than 2,000 defibrillators have been installed at sports facilities across NSW.
2023/24 recipients of the Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program included:
- Cessnock Motorcross Club
- West Wallsend Rugby Football Club
- BHP Rifle Club Incorporated
- Kurri Kurri/Weston District Cricket Club Incorporated
- Mulbring Cricket Club Incorporated
- Cessnock District Netball Association
- Kurri Kurri Minor Rugby League
Applications close 27 November 2024 or when funding is exhausted. For further information, including eligibility criteria, please see the program guidelines at: https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/grants/local-sport-defibrillator-grant-program
State Member for the Electorate of Cessnock, Clayton Barr said:
“With record numbers of people participating in sport and active recreation, it’s critical that sports facilities in the electorate are equipped to respond to these potentially life-threatening incidents.
“The Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program supports Cessnock Electorate sporting organisations to purchase and install this equipment at their facilities.”
Minister for Sport, Steve Kamper said:
“With more than 9,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in NSW each year, the first few minutes following an incident are critical, and access to a defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death.
“The NSW Government wants to ensure people participating in sport have access to this life-saving equipment.
“The Local Sport Defibrillator Program ensures clubs are equipped to respond to these life-threatening emergencies.”
Co-deputy Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Professor Jamie Vandenburg, said:
“Being able to access a defibrillator quickly and easily could be the difference between life and death for someone suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.
“In fact, survival rates nearly double if a defibrillator is used in the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest.
“Currently just one in 10 people who have a sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital will survive.
“This is a sobering statistic but it’s one we can change for the better by installing more of these life-saving devices in sports clubs across the state.”