Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to speak to this motion today. I thank the member for bringing this motion forward. As has been well articulated, Australia has always enjoyed strong and enduring representation in sport, and most recently it's our sportswomen that have led the way and are a testament to our great sporting heritage. Women such as Ash Barty, a proud Queenslander and the first Australian woman to win the French Open in over 46 years; Hannah Green, the first Australian woman in over a decade to take home the Women's PGA Championship trophy; and let's not forget, as was articulated in the motion, the outstanding Matildas on reaching the final 16 in the FIFA World Cup or the Hockeyroos reaching the final of the inaugural women's International Hockey Federation Pro League. In the spirit of cycling—as the cycling season in Europe is in full swing, with the men's Tour de France just finishing—we recently had the women's Tour De France, and once again the Mitchelton-Scott women's team, with a number of Australians in it, has excelled.

Wherever you go, Australian women are making headway in sport and, in doing so, inspiring the next generation of young sporting superstars. Young Australians like Des'ree Barnes from my electorate of Forde. Des'ree is ranked in the top 16 in BMX, and over the weekend competed in the junior elite women's category at the UCI BMX World Championships in Belgium. She's been training at the local Beenleigh BMX Club for the past 10 years and is benefiting from a local club that is working hard to encourage women into sport. Beenleigh BMX plans to have programs for women run by women and to bring on more female coaches to foster the development of women's participation in BMX.

Sport, then, is perhaps the greatest unifier of our time, which is why I always feel a great sense of pride in my local sporting clubs, because, when I look out onto the field, the cricket pitch, the netball court or the racetrack, I see people from all walks of life coming together for a shared purpose and a shared goal. They come together often as a team to share a special moment when nothing in the world matters except for what is in front of them, because at that moment they are united by a shared desire to win. That is the power of sports. But what happens off the field is just as important as what happens on the field, because not only does sport help build stronger athletes but it also builds stronger communities.

At Beenleigh Buffaloes, sport is a community of friends where people can go and help each other where necessary and a community that unites behind great causes. In June, Beenleigh Buffaloes and the Coolangatta Football Club held the inaugural ACFC Manning Up Cup Day. The match was an opportunity to break down the stigma of men's mental health issues and raise funds for a chance for change. Just last week, the under-16 team opted out of training to give back to their community by volunteering with the Movement Gold Coast Homeless Outreach. They helped serve food, tea and coffee and assisted with giving out clothing and blankets. But, most importantly, they did this as a team, as a united community with a shared desire to help others. I am sure it was a rewarding experience for the players which will only help them to grow stronger.

It just shows that clubs like Beenleigh Buffaloes are also great champions in women's sport. Over the past six years, they've always had a women's team. In fact, one of their players, Tori, has been drafted by the Brisbane Lions and has previously represented the All-Australian team two years in a row. Also, Georgie has been involved with the Gold Coast Suns summer academy. It is exciting to see players across my electorate advance and develop within their sports, and it is a great reminder for young people, particularly young women, to have sporting aspirations and goals. It is why it's important for our local clubs to encourage more women to play sport. That is why I am so excited by the programs that this coalition government has brought forward to improve the quality of facilities for women's sports across clubs in my electorate.

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