The State Government's health promotion authority Healthway has committed $415,000 in funding to an event sponsored by Leeuwin Estate winery and Tooheys Extra Dry, one day after revealing concerns with sharing billing with fast food companies.
The newly-named Drug Aware Pro Margaret River, a re-incarnation of the Margaret River Masters, has been flagged as a major platform to spread the anti-drug message to young people across the state.
Healthway chair Jenn Morris said in an announcement the board had sought an opportunity to capitalise on the event's popularity, and to re-establish a high-profile event for women surfers.
The women's event had been dropped the previous year because of a lack of sponsorship.
Tooheys and Leeuwin Estate will function as support sponsors to the event, along with the Department of Sport & Recreation, Fonterra Brands, Odyssey 2020, Margarets Beach Resort, and the Shire of Augusta Margaret River.
As well as Healthway/Drug Aware, Tourism Western Australia, EventsCorp and surf brand O'Neill Australia are major event sponsors.
Healthway's health promotion director Jo Clarkson told media yesterday the organisation was considering withdrawing its sponsorship of events backed by fast food companies, with events that gave a major sponsor saturation coverage the most likely to jeopardise their funding.
Ms Clarkson told WA Business News today the organisation had no clear cut policies on alcohol or fast food sponsorship, and was not considering withdrawing any funding previously allocated.
"We're not anti alcohol, but if (alcohol advertising) is there we don't want to be seen as endorsing a particular product," she said.
Confirming that Healthway was aware of the sponsorship arrangement before increasing its funding allocation, Ms Clarkson said the organisation preferred alcohol advertising to be more subtle at events where Healthway was involved.
Healthway takes a strict line on event sponsorship from tobacco companies, withdrawing funding last year for the ProSubi-run Subi Festival after event organisers promoted a champagne breakfast at Subiaco cigar store Devlin's Cigar Divan.
