Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Bendigo is home to a number of great female athletes, particularly when it comes to team sports. The Bendigo Spirit is our local team competing in the Australian WNBL. They are one of three Victorian teams. I'm proud to stand here and say that they've had a fantastic start to this year's season. Currently, they sit top of the ladder after winning six of their games so far. They are the only team to be undefeated in the competition. I'm proud to be a player sponsor of Lavinia Cox, who is an 18-year-old Bendigo local taking the next step up from being a standout junior in the Bendigo Basketball pathways program.

This weekend was also round 6 of the Lisa Chesters Shield, the senior women's cricket competition in Bendigo. I've been the sponsor of the shield since its inception, and it's an example of how women love their cricket too and love to be able to play at the grassroots level. They love their club cricket. The Bendigo Thunder, which is another of our amazing women's teams, were one of the inaugural teams in the women's Central Victorian Football League. While the football season is over, they've already started their preseason training. It's just a demonstration of the commitment that these women have to their sport.

Women's sport is alive and well in Bendigo, with pathways available for young women who want to play at the local or elite level.

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