Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Every morning when I'm at home in Moorooka I go for a walk. At one of the roundabouts there's the agitos from the Paralympics, the red, blue and green crescents. They represent that idea of the motto of the Paralympics of 'spirit in motion'. I see them every morning. Like all sorts of people across the country, I have been awestruck by the feats of our Australian Paralympians over the past two weeks. I'm happy to take this opportunity to congratulate the team, their coaches and the support staff on their magnificent achievements in France.

The Paris Paralympic Games featured 4,400 athletes from 168 countries, competing in 22 para-sports with 549 medal events. We have seen great success from the Australian contingent—160 para-athletes travelled to Paris to compete. The performances have been extraordinary and the results are 18 gold medals, 17 silver medals and 28 bronze medals. Obviously every medal is inspirational and a personal triumph, but there have been 160 heroic tales, many before they got onto the track or the pool in Paris.

Alongside the greats of the past, like Kurt Fearnley, Dylan Alcott and Louise Savage, we now have new household names: Madison de Rozario, Alexa Leary, Lauren Parker and Vanessa Low. That's just a snapshot of some of our new superstars. I love that phrase: you can't be what you can't see. I'm sure that there are hundreds of children across the country who are now dreaming of their own athletic journeys. Maybe some of them we will see competing in Brisbane in 2032. As the Prime Minister said to the para-athletes at the launch of the Paralympic team here in Parliament House:

The impact that you'll have isn't just while the race is on, or the tournament or the event, it is ongoing.

There will be young boys and girls watching you who'll think to themselves 'I can do that'. In doing so, you lift not just them up, you lift the entire nation.

Two things struck me at that launch: the athletes' palpable pride and the affirmation of the Paralympics Australia president, Alison Creagh, who is on the board of the Brisbane Olympic Games with me. Alison detailed the impact the athletes would have, should have and, we now know, did have. She said:

… winning medals is just one part of the job. For Paralympic athletes, there is a broader context. Paralympic sport has the power to profoundly change lives and to enrich our communities.

It does this by breaking down stereotypes around disability, confronting discrimination and demonstrating the power of diversity and inclusion. It inspires all Australians—with or without a disability—to apply our best selves to all our endeavours in life.

In this way, Paralympic sport is not just important for people who live with disability, it has a unique way of speaking to a far wider audience.

These words are very true. We've all been inspired by the indomitable spirit, courage and dedication these athletes have shown—not only during the games but in the years of training leading up to their events.

The Labor government is a proud supporter of this team. On the day before the Paris games began, the Albanese government announced that our para-athletes would receive the same financial rewards at the 2024 games as the Australian Olympians. That means that Paralympian gold medallists have received $20,000, silver medallists $15,000 and bronze medallists $10,000. This is a just and necessary step. Equity: if you can see it, you can be it.

After a well-deserved break, I know the para-athletes will be looking forward to both Los Angeles in four years time and Brisbane in 2032, in less than eight years time. And I say, in a completely unbiased way, that I know the Brisbane games will be the best Paralympic and Olympic Games that the universe has ever seen.

The Albanese Labor government has directed nearly $55 million—the biggest investment ever by an Australia government—to address systemic and structural performance barriers for para-athletes. This is part of the drive for 2032, called Australia's high performance 2032+ sport strategy. The Australian Institute of Sport has led a review to identify and better understand the barriers to entry and progression of para sport. These include systemic, attitudinal, policy, environmental and technical issues.

To combat these barriers, multisport para hubs will be established in each state to provide enhanced pathways and support systems for athletes and coaches. The hubs will enable access to fit-for-purpose equipment, to support athletes if they move to a different sport and, crucially, to lead to a coordinated and connected national classification system—and I know the University of Queensland is doing some great work there. This initiative is also supported by the nearly $250 million upgrade to the Australian Institute of Sport here in Canberra—so many opportunities in front of us.

See this speech in context