Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that:

(a) there are three significant netball events approaching over the next four years, the:

  (i) Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014;

  (ii) Netball World Cup in Sydney in August 2015; and

  (iii) Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018; and

(b) netball:

  (i) continues to be one of the most popular sports in Australia with the highest participation rate of any team sport amongst girls; and

  (ii) has been identified as not only having notable fitness benefits but also significantly decreasing the likelihood of depression; and

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) Australia's elite netball players have opportunities to interact with parliamentarians as they prepare for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the Netball World Cup;

(b) the Australian media plays an important role in highlighting the role that netball has in our cultural identity, which in turn promotes the sport and increases participation rates; and

(c) Netball Australia should be congratulated for its impact in boosting the profile of women in sport, providing its members with valuable leadership skills and supporting world-class athletes.

I am delighted to move this motion and take the opportunity to recognise the valuable role that the sport of netball plays in local communities across Australia and, indeed, around the world. Netball is played by more than 20 million people in more than 70 countries and is by far the most women's sport in Australia, with an estimated 1.2 million players nationwide.

This motion recognises that our national netball team, the Diamonds, will compete at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July this year. We wish them all the very best. I note that Australia has won gold in two of the four Commonwealth Games which have included netball. At the last Commonwealth Games, in India, the Diamonds took out silver, with New Zealand taking gold. Hopefully, we will reverse that order, and we look forward to a great competition in Glasgow.

Next year Australia will host the Netball World Cup, in Sydney. The world cup occurs every four years, with the top 16 netball nations competing. Australia has a terrific record, having won 10 of the 13 world cup competitions. I note that the Prime Minister's wife, Margie Abbott, is the Netball World Cup ambassador. I congratulate her and thank her for taking on that role.

The international netball event coming up in Australia, which as a Gold Coast member I am very proud of, is the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which will be held primarily on the Gold Coast. Preparations are well underway on the coast to ensure a fantastic games, and we look forward to welcoming athletes, including netballers, from around the world when the Games begin in April 2018.

With these major events, there will be many opportunities over the coming years for all members of this House to interact with our elite netball players and to support and recognise the role that netball plays in our cultural identity. I encourage members to also promote netball in their electorates and encourage participation. I encourage members and senators to join the Parliamentary Friends of Netball, which has recently been established and which I am delighted to chair.

I also encourage greater recognition by the media and sports commentators of the national netball competition. While netball games are now telecast live, it is important that the sporting media give netball decent coverage so that young girls can hear about their teams and their sporting role models in much the same way that young boys hear about theirs

There are a lot of well-documented pressures and stresses on our young people, and on girls in particular. Participation in sport provides a healthy outlet that can boost self-confidence and help significantly reduce the likelihood of developing depression. Netball provides a sort of antidote to the bombardment of highly sexualized images and photoshopped ideals of beauty that our young girls are constantly subject to and which contribute to the growing incidence of body-image issues. Studies show that looking at a fashion magazine for three minutes resulted in lower self-esteem for around 80 per cent of women and girls. Conversely, the Women's Sports Foundation found that girls who participate in sports at school have better grades, higher levels of self-confidence and lower levels of depression. There is no doubt that the more we can encourage our young girls into sport the better they will be for their participation.

Netball is a very natural pathway for many girls because competitions take place in thousands of local communities. In fact there are 5,273 netball clubs around the country—each hosting a number of teams of different ages. Local clubs are run by dedicated volunteers who give their time each and every week. I thank the many parents, family members and other people who coach, umpire, run the canteen, keep score and cheer from the sidelines every week. They are the backbone of our netball clubs.

I would like also to take this opportunity, in talking about the fantastic network of netball clubs throughout Australia, to recognise the work of Netball Australia. Netball Australia has a long and proud history and does a fantastic job of bringing together the various state organisations to further promote the sport and advocate on behalf of players. I congratulate the board of directors and the hardworking staff of Netball Australia for building such a well-respected and admired brand in Australian sport.

The exciting competitions that are coming up over the next four years will provide all lovers of the sport with the chance to enjoy the camaraderie and sportsmanship that are a hallmark of netball. I am sure there are teenage girls all around Australia, playing in representative teams for their communities and their state, who dream of one day playing for the Diamonds and representing Australia at the highest level. Just as our boys dream of playing cricket for Australia or becoming a member of the Wallabies, it is wonderfully enriching that our girls have such a successful national representative team to strive towards as the pinnacle of their sporting goals. I commend this motion to the House and once again take this opportunity to wish the Diamonds every success when they compete in Glasgow.

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