Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to highlight the volunteer efforts of two local sporting organisations in my electorate—the Willetton Bowling Club and the Willetton Basketball Association.

Volunteers at these clubs offer so much back to my local community: in time, coaching, umpiring, committee work, friendship and fundraising. They are committed to their fellow members, promoting their sport and introducing bowls and basketball to new players. Being active in sporting and social clubs is vital to maintaining physical, mental and social health. This is something I am passionate about.

Recently, I was so pleased to officially open the new synthetic green and lighting at the Willetton Bowling Club. Willetton Bowling Club is one of the clubs that I visited early during the campaign. One of the things that impressed me about this organisation was its large thermometer, hanging prominently on the wall for everyone who visited to see. The thermometer was showing how much money they were raising for the redevelopment of their club. It showed the fundraising efforts by the club members and their visitors for the synthetic green.

The thermometer showed that the Willetton Bowling Club was making every effort to achieve its goals. But when it comes to large investments in infrastructure it is appropriate for local, state and federal governments to help get these big and expensive projects built. The new synthetic green is thanks to the shared efforts of the federal government and the members and volunteers of the Willetton Bowling Club. The Turnbull government delivered $250,000 and club members contributed $50,000 of their own local fundraising for the installation of the new synthetic green. The federal government and club also shared the costs of new lighting.

Just next door to the Willetton Bowling Club is the Willetton basketball stadium. Rarely a day goes by in Tangney that I do not meet a mum or dad, or a young person, telling me just how much this club does for the local community—in fact, our local community, south of the river in Perth. The Willetton Basketball Association is driven by a dedicated team of volunteers who do everything they can for more than a thousand volunteers, 300 teams and 3,500 players, who use the courts quite literally from dawn until dusk, seven days a week.

But the current four-court stadium is stretched beyond capacity, with over 150 young kids on the waiting list to play team sport. But they cannot because of a lack of infrastructure. The association wants to build four more indoor courts, new change rooms, meeting rooms, hall space, offices and a space for services, such as a physio. But the project has a $10.5 million price tag, and while the Willetton Basketball Association has fundraised some $800,000—a remarkable effort—this project, fairly, needs the assistance of government.

I am all about government co-investing in people and organisations that do everything they can to help themselves. A federal funding consideration for this project is very important in the very near future. I look forward to working with the Prime Minister and other ministers to find the federal contribution to this project. (Time expired)

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