Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I must commend the member for Wright and all speakers on this motion. It is a very important one. I will talk briefly about sport and the importance it plays in the workplace for health and mental health, and in my community in Casey. But first, I do have to commend the member for Forde for his words. It was a truly outrageous decision on the penalty today. He is modest. His efforts in goal during the penalty shootout, to lead the yellow team, our team, to victory at the end were heroic and brought back memories of the Australian World Cup qualifiers. Congratulations to the member for Forde for that amazing effort.

That is one of the reasons I want to talk about Andy Turnbull and the Australian Parliament House sports club, and the important role that it plays here. For a new member of this parliament, it's a big place. There's a lot that happens, there's a lot to learn, but sport and the parliamentary club has been a great way to get to know my colleagues on this side of the House and, importantly, my colleagues on the other side of the House, and that leads to better decision-making and better collaboration. Yes, we're going to have disagreements on policy, and question time is always very robust, but it's important that we're representing our constituents and maintaining strong relationships across the aisle and with our colleagues. I've found sport has been a great way to make new friends and meet new people in this new workplace.

We spend a lot of hours in this House talking, debating and making decisions, and it has been very important to have that release from a physical and mental health perspective. I've found it to be a great part of my routine here in Canberra. It's a reminder not just for parliamentarians but for all Australians to make sure that you are spending time getting your exercise, spending time with sport, running or whatever exercise you need to look after your mental and physical health.

In Casey, sport is a big part of our electorate. It's been a big part of my life—as I talked about in my maiden speech—playing for many soccer clubs, football clubs and cricket clubs, and making lifelong friendships. I'll always make sure that I back the sporting clubs in Casey. We had the first week of cricket finals this week in Casey, so tensions are high. Some local teams beat other local teams, so I'm being very bipartisan. I'm not supporting anyone, although I do have to give one very special shout-out to a good friend of mine, a former premiership teammate. A man who is a legend, in many ways, in Yarra Valley cricket, the great Matthew Tilney is still rolling the arm over and still batting. He made 53 not out and got two for 21 on the weekend, to lead the Seville Burras to their grand final next weekend. It's great to see that Matty is still making runs and taking wickets—maybe not terrorising batsmen like he used to but relying on the guile that comes with old age and wisdom to get those wickets.

We've also got football, soccer and netball about to start. I know the players are deep in preseason preparations for all those sports. Practice matches have started. It's exciting to see the optimism that all local clubs have at this time of year. Recruits are going to be superstars. Everyone gets excited. But, most importantly, when I go to clubs and talk to them, it's about that community spirit of seeing their friends and spending time with their community. The bit of banter, again, is so important for their mental and physical health, especially after the challenges we've had in sport in the last few years.

The third part of sport that has played a big role in our communities is within our ethnic community. As a third generation Italian resident of Casey, I speak to my uncles and my dad a lot about how soccer played such a big part in their lives. Now it's just part of our community. We're really fortunate in Casey to have the wonderful Chin community, who are creating their own home in our electorate and in the neighbouring electorate of Deakin. The Chin and the Karen communities have come from Burma, and I was excited to be at the 17th anniversary of the Karen Baptist church on the weekend, talking to them about soccer at the Mooroolbark Soccer Club, where I spent 10 years playing. I'm fortunate that my son is following in my footsteps, and I think he'll be a lot better than me, which is good for his teammates. It's nice to see the Chin community creating their own legacy at the Mooroolbark Soccer Club and other sports clubs as well because that's what sport does; it brings us together here in parliament and it brings us together in our communities in Casey and across the nation. I commend the member for Wright for this wonderful motion.

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