Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion. I thank the member for Fraser for his motion today, which recognises the upcoming Olympic and Paralympics Games in London.

Every four years, we have the opportunity to watch Australia's and the world's best athletes compete against each other at the pinnacle of human physical achievement—the year when all other sporting events pale into insignificance. We are reminded of the unwavering commitment and exertion required to become the world's best and to win that coveted gold, silver or bronze medal. There are always stories that are so inspiring that you cannot help but cry in recognition of their achievement

This morning I was honoured to attend the Australian Paralympics team's launch ceremony in Parliament House. At this stage, there are 161 athletes going to London this year—the biggest team that we have sent to date. I met Dylan Alcott, who will be competing in the wheelchair basketball event this year and who has been paraplegic since birth. Dylan has truly battled adversity to lead a remarkable life. By the age of 17, he had already been part of an Australian team which won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and again, when he was 19, at the 2010 World Championship. I also wish University of Queensland student Bridie Kean golden success in the women's wheelchair basketball event. Bridie is yet another great ambassador and team captain, and spoke so eloquently at this morning's launch.

I was also fortunate to attend the St Peter's Western Swim Club's corporate relay and breakfast on 15 June at St Peter's Lutheran College in Ryan. At such a critical time in the lead-up to the games, I would like to thank all the Olympic swimmers including Mitch Larkin, Stephanie Rice, Nick D'Arcy, Kendrick Monk and Leisel Jones for taking time out of their busy schedules to support the Starlight Foundation. A big thank you also to Phil Di Bella, who matched donations on the day dollar-for-dollar so they were able to raise more than $17,000 for such a worth while charity.

Of course, we should also record a huge thank you to all of the administrators, volunteers and athletes' family members who make such an enormous contribution to a successful Australian Olympic and Paralympics team. It is mothers like Judy Larkin, who called just the other day for an Australian flag to take over to London, who invest so much effort and dedication to ensure their children can grow up with the opportunity to represent our country.

Australians would not excel in sport both domestically and on the world stage if it were not for the hard work of the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Olympic Committee and the Australian Paralympics Committee. Every year, the AIS offers hundreds of scholarships to athletes to attend the sports training institute, so that participants in 36 programs across 26 sports can use the services of skilled coaches, world-class facilities and other cutting-edge sports science and medicine services. The AIS has a reputation for being one of the best high-performance sports institutions, and our sporting community owes much to their team.

I extend my appreciation to Mr John Coates AC and all members of the team at the Australian Olympic Committee for their unremitting dedication to Australia's participation and success at the Olympic Games. As Chief Operating Officer, Mr Craig Philips mentioned the preparation for the 2012 London Olympics began in 2005 when the decision to host the Olympics in the UK was announced. All athletes go through a very extensive process to be officially selected for the games, and it is the work that we do not see at the AOC that goes a long way to a smooth games event for Australian athletes.

I also would like to recognise Mr Jason Hellwig and all the members of the Australian Paralympics Committee. At the launch this morning, Mr Hellwig said he was confident Australia can achieve enough gold medals to remain among the top Paralympics sporting nations in the world despite half of the team being made up of debutants.

Both Olympic and Paralympics teams are looking at the ultimate goal of being in the top five for both the gold and aggregate medal tallies. We will face some very tough competition this year from traditional rivals, including China, the United States and the United Kingdom. Every Australian will be cheering for all our sportsmen and women, and I wish both teams and all our athletes all the very best.

I remind Australians that the first time the Australian flag ever flew was at the 1908 London Olympics where we won the first gold medal for the rugby union.

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