Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There has been an overwhelming demand for the Albanese government's Play Our Way program. It's a program that's all about investing in women's sport, and it is the single biggest package for women's sport ever, providing $200 million in funding to help not only our future Olympians, Paralympians, Matildas and Diamonds but also girls and women who just love to compete and play at the local level.

The program has been an amazing success, with many hundreds of clubs applying for the fund. What this shows is that the level of demand for investment in women's sporting facilities and equipment is huge. The number of applications for this fund highlights the level of demand for funding that invests in women's change rooms, equipment and new sporting facilities. But, while demand has been high, with over 1,600 applications from sporting clubs across the nation, our government remains committed to ensuring the department's process is fair, fulsome and respectful of the volunteers who work tirelessly to construct an application. This takes time.

While all things take time, the department has already contacted applicants to stream 1 and informed those who are progressing to the next stage of assessment for that stream. Unsuccessful applicants have also been notified. Organisations who applied for the participation and equipment stream of the fund will be provided with an update in the coming weeks. And I can assure my local clubs that their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

I recently held a forum in my electorate of Corangamite to help communities apply for grants. There was much interest in the Play Our Way grant because the growing number of women playing male dominated sports in my region is increasing, and there is a need for better facilities. Sports like football, basketball, soccer and cricket are seeing a massive surge of popularity amongst women in my rapidly growing region. That's what this Play Our Way grant is all about. The program is designed to fund great ideas at a local level and across a range of sports, to increase women's participation. It's an opportunity for local governments, community organisations, the not-for-profit sector and sporting organisations to show how they can create a better sporting landscape for women and girls across the country.

I should remind the member for Durack that probity and integrity are key parts of the Play Our Way grant process, and the Albanese government is absolutely committed to ensuring the program is well managed. We know it's vital to have a robust process and ensure the best projects receive funding. We want to do this right. We do not want to rely on a colour coded spreadsheet. Again, I want to assure all my local clubs that each application is thoroughly assessed and reviewed to ensure fairness to all applicants and to deliver the best outcomes for women and girls in communities across the country. We want to see grants go to those who need them most, and that's what we're delivering. I look forward to notifying my local clubs on the status of their grant applications very soon.

What has been made clear is that there is a high demand to provide women and girls with greater opportunities to access, participate in and remain involved in sport and physical activity. The Albanese government recognises this. Too often, women have been changing in men's bathrooms, wearing hand-me-down boys uniforms and playing on poorly maintained fields that boys teams would refuse to play on. We know that too many girls drop out of sport and never come back as adults. Play Our Way will address these issues to help women and girls enjoy sport for life.

In closing, we have recently seen a surge in sports participation as more opportunities and choices open up for women and girls. This is increasing participation in sport overall, which is a wonderful thing. Watching so many girls and women getting out and playing footy and cricket has been an absolute joy for me. For me, it's a priority that clubs have the resources to cater for girls and women and to meet current standards and expectations. That's what the Albanese government commitment will deliver, and it's what the Play Our Way program will deliver.

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