Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the wonderful women's cricket team, who are in the T20 World Cup semi-final tonight. Of course we hope our team makes the final this Sunday at the MCG in Melbourne, where Australia is hoping to break the world record for the largest crowd ever at a sporting event for women for International Women's Day. This would be a wonderful sign of our country's March towards gender equality, but it will also be fantastic to have Katy Perry performing at this event. In honour of Katy's performance and that of our wonderful women's T20 cricket team, it'd be great to see them inspiring young boys and girls across the country to be professional cricketers.

As I said, the final of the Women's T20 World Cup wasn't 'Last Friday Night'; it's this Sunday 8 March. We're hoping to break the record for the largest crowd at a sporting event for women, which would be 'original' and 'cannot be replaced'. So if you're in Melbourne on Sunday, buy a ticket so this record isn't 'The One That Got Away'. Our women's T20 cricket team has definitely been more 'hot' than 'cold' in this World Cup. They aren't a 'Dark Horse'; they're ranked number one in the world and are in the semi-final tonight. In the last match that helped them get there, we saw Georgia Wareham take three wickets in a performance that went off like a 'Firework'. I'm sure for all the young cricketers, boys and girls, around the country, our team's amazing success is inspiring a 'Teenage Dream'. I look forward to the Australian cricket team 'floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee' and to hear our women 'Roar'.

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