Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence, if I may, Mr Speaker. This morning, together with the Leader of the Opposition, we had the great privilege of welcoming home the Australian Olympic team. Never a finer bunch of young Australians have we sent abroad. They were terrific in every respect, all 433 of them. Despite their overnight flight from Beijing, I think it is fair to say they came home well satisfied with their achievements in Beijing. As well they should be, not just in terms of medal tallies and the things which are often debated around the international sports media and general media but also in the way they carried themselves off as an Australian team in Beijing. They are a fantastic group of young people. They were out there not just competing hard and sharp but also, in the way in which they are competing, showing everything about the Australian character—and for that we congratulate them as well.

Our swimming team performed superbly in the Water Cube. The kayakers, rowers and sailors continued a theme of Australian mastery over the water. And on land, we saw people like Jared Tallent, who won the silver medal in the men’s 50-kilometre walk in Beijing, after winning bronze earlier in the week in the 20-kilometre race. In collecting the silver, Tallent became the first Australian since Raelene Boyle in Munich in ’72 to win two athletics medals at an Olympics. And we will all carry memories of the achievements and efforts of so many of our athletes—Stephanie Rice, Emma Snowsill, Grant Hackett and so many others.

Much history was made: we all know about Steve Hooker and the pole vault; Matthew Mitcham and his extraordinary performance in the diving pool, our first Olympic gold since 1924—that has been a while between drinks; and, at the end, of course, a medal tally of which the country can be proud. On behalf of the government and I am sure the parliament, we extend our congratulations to the team for their achievements, to the Australian Olympic Committee for their achievements and also to all those who supported them, those behind the scenes—the physios, the trainers, the coaches and the administrators, all of whom made this Australian Olympic team abroad such a success.

As I said this morning at the welcome home ceremony, a special thanks also should go out to the mums and dads and family members. Each of the stories about these 433 athletes is a legend in itself. To get to the stage where you can actually be a member of the Australian Olympic team is the end of a massive competitive journey—so much dedication, so much effort, so much training, so much trial and so much disappointment, supported all the way through by family, friends and loved ones. They were out there, as the Leader of the Opposition and I saw this morning, in force, welcoming them home in the best of Australian traditions.

I was told this morning that London double-decker buses have been bedaubed with a particular sign today. I think Fran’s campaign has finally come home to roost on this question: ‘Where the hell are you?’ Can I say this to our friends in Britain, and we wish them well for the 2012 Olympics: I am sure they are going to do a fantastic job in hosting those Olympics. If I know anything about the Australian competitive spirit, if I know anything about the Australian Olympic Committee, our lot will be there with spades on ready to take it up to the Brits in the best of Australian traditions come 2012.

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