Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's 10 days to go until the 21st Commonwealth Games begin on the Gold Coast. What an exciting time it is for Australia, for fans, for sportspeople—we have watched our sports progress over the decades on television—and, of course, for the players themselves. It's no secret in this place that I am a very keen netballer and a great fan of the Australian Diamonds. I can't wait to cheer them on as they once again play for the gold medal at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

It will be a great Commonwealth Games for women. I'd like to thank the member for Lindsay for bringing this timely motion on. We missed celebrating International Women's Day because we were away from the parliament. So I've shaped my contribution on this motion around women's participation in the Commonwealth Games. In the first Commonwealth Games, in 1930, women competed in just seven medal events. Haven't we come a long way since then! At the 2014 games, women competed in 48.5 per cent of medal events. That's an interesting statistic because today in the Labor caucus we are celebrating the representation of women in our federal parliamentary team reaching 48 per cent.

In 2018, at the upcoming games on the Gold Coast, history will be made. There will be an equal number of opportunities for men and women to compete in medal events. This is a breakthrough moment for women's sport. It's a fantastic achievement for sport and for women's involvement in it. It's exciting that young girls can watch the Comm Games and aspire to have the same opportunities to compete in sport as their brothers do. The gender barriers are slowly being broken down, paving the way for more involvement and participation. In that regard, I commend the leaders in sport who have a vision for women's participation over many years and who have actively implemented strategies to make what we're going to see a reality. We will see Sally Pearson leading the charge on the athletics track, the Wallaroos battling it out in the rugby sevens and the Hockeyroos on the hockey field among the 6,600 athletes and team officials vying for gold when the games begin.

Importantly, I want to celebrate the Diamonds and their terrific build-up towards these Commonwealth Games. Of course, you can never take a gold medal for granted. There's no doubt that they are the premier team, coached exquisitely by Lisa Alexander. The team is being led, again, by Caitlin Bassett, who I think was named the world's best netballer, joined by our fabulous goal shooter, vice-captain Gabi Simpson, who is always there in that wing defence position and always putting the pressure on. Laura Geitz will join the Diamonds again for the Comm Games, and I know every Queenslander in Australia will be celebrating that fact. She'll be joined by April Brandley, Courtney Bruce and Melbourne's own Jo Weston in the defence line-up for the Diamonds. Liz Watson, our fabulous Victorian centre, will also join the team. Stephanie Wood will play in goal with Caitlin Thwaites, another great Victorian. Kim Ravaillion will join the team again. She has appeared in more than one Comm Games. And Madi Robinson, the champion from Melbourne, will, of course, be on the court with them.

There is no doubt in my mind that in terms of netball and women's commitment to netball—and women leading a sport, a women's game, if you like, in the past—it is a fabulous game, and there are some features of it that I think are really worth celebrating. When these girls take to the court, they take to the court representing hundreds of thousands of young girls who play netball every week. They also have created pathways for women into the hierarchies in sport, into administrative roles and into board roles. It really is a celebration. The Commonwealth Games is a great way for us to celebrate how far women have come in sport. It's a breakthrough moment, with 50 per cent of gold medals up for grabs available to women, and I will be at home on the couch cheering on the Diamonds. Go, Lisa Alexander! I know you'll have those girls expertly prepared, and I know they will give 100 per cent for their country and for their teammates.

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