Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I wish to highlight the achievements of athletes from my seat of Forrest who competed at the London Olympics. I congratulate each and every one of our athletes right across Australia. I recognise their hard work, their dedication, the countless hours on the road, the endless training sessions, the personal discipline, the sacrifice and passion to represent their country. Being selected to compete at the Olympics is a just reward for all of the athletes efforts.

Forrest is a regional and rural electorate of 12,500 square kilometres at least two or three plus hours from Perth itself, depending on where the athlete lives. For some of the athletes and their families it is hundreds of kilometres from top-level competition. What our athletes know is that the only way they can achieve in their athletic development, whether it is at a state, national or international level, is with the support of their equally dedicated families, their local communities, the veritable army of volunteers who run the sporting clubs and organisations, and their coaches. People need this level of support to help them fulfil their Olympic dreams.

For instance, dual Olympic basketballer Mark Worthington grew up in Australind just north of Bunbury. The 203-centimetre forward debuted in the green and gold in 2005 and has been in teams which have won two world championships and a Commonwealth games. The Boomers enjoyed several wins in London, including a thriller against the more fancied Russian team. They were eventually knocked out, despite a valiant effort against the USA Dream Team. Anybody who watched that game would understand when I say it was a valiant effort. It was the second time in a row that Australia had finished amongst the top eight teams in the Olympics. Throughout his career Mark has been strongly supported by his parents, Greg and Treena, his brother Trent, his sister Kate and of course his wife. South West Slammers coach Steve Hawkins has also played a pivotal role in Mark's career.

The south-west provided two Hockeyroos in the London Olympics, Kobie McGurk and Jayde Taylor. Kobie McGurk is from Collie and was competing in her second Olympics. Like most talented young athletes, Kobie shone in several sports before she focused on hockey. She has earned her reputation as one of the toughest defenders in the world. Kobie played in the final of the World Cup in Argentina in 2006. She won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, and has over 100 international caps. But none of this has come easily for Kobie. Like a lot of athletes Kobie has had to overcome injury and disappointment during her career. I acknowledge the determination and toughness that Kobie has shown to achieve at the highest level.

After five years on the national development squad, Jayde Taylor was making her last bid for Hockeyroo selection when she broke into the team two years ago. This was her Olympic debut. She had won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and, with her 25 international caps, Jayde is recognised for her intellect and composure in defence—critical if you are in a defensive position, certainly in hockey.

Lauren Reynolds originally came from the Bunbury BMX Club and was an inaugural South West Academy of Sport scholarship holder. Lauren actually found out she was going to the Olympics on the day she celebrated her 21st birthday. What a great present for a 21st birthday. It followed her continued success as an elite BMX rider which saw her finish in 2011 as Australia's top ranked female and in the top 10 in the world. The BMX events at the Olympics drew plenty of spectator interest and packed crowds saw Reynolds qualify ninth fastest in the trials. She unfortunately crashed out of contention but she was giving it her all in her third semi-final. What a great effort.

Bunbury's Alex Hagan was also an inaugural scholarship holder of the South West Academy of Sport. At the age of 21 Alex was one of the youngest members of the women's eight rowing team which came from nowhere in the qualifying regatta to book their spot at the Olympics. We all remember that. Alex had set her sights on rowing at the Rio de Janeiro games in 2016. The team and crew was put together only just months before the qualifying events for London. They basically thought they were not going to get to these Olympics in London and she was focusing on 2016. Next thing, the team was off to London. The team won the qualifying event and reached the final. What a great effort for such a recently formed team.

Chair of the South West Academy of Sport, Don Punch, CEO Bernice Butlion and the board were all really proud of both of these athletes for their selection in the Olympic team and they are equally proud of the support and the part the academy has played in providing real practical support for both of these young south-west Olympians. It is a real feather in the cap for everyone. Also competing at his first Olympics was Scott Sunderland from Busselton and the South West Cycle Club. He was a member of the men's three-man indoor cycling team sprint. His Olympics followed a world championship win with the team in Melbourne earlier this year in April. In a sport which is decided by thousandths of a second, his team came fourth to Germany in a bronze-medal ride-off.

We had Margaret River based archer Taylor Worth. He was Australia's only male archer competing in London. He had to overcome injury—like I said, so many of our athletes have so much to overcome—in 2010 to win the national championship. He was crowned the Australian Archer of the Year and has won a Commonwealth Games gold medal and a US Open individual gold medal. In London, Taylor was able to dispatch the world No. 1 when he stormed through to the final 16. The 21-year-old, who was ranked 44 in the world, had his dream ended by a Chinese competitor in a one-arrow tiebreaker. What a way to end your campaign!

In concluding, I want to mention our most prolific medal winner across both of the games: our middle-distance track Paralympian Brad Scott from Eaton. Brad was competing at his second Paralympics and won a silver medal in the 1,500 metres and a bronze medal in the 800 metres. I can see the members around the room smiling at this achievement. You would understand exactly what this means. Brad was also a silver medallist at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and a silver medallist at the IPC Athletics World Championships. I know Brad is looking forward to competing in the 2016 games in Rio, and he told me even prior to going to London that his goal was to get to the gold medal position. He is going to continue his very strong competition with one of the athletes who continues to get the better of him. Brad will not give up and has promised to bring his medals in to show me. I cannot wait to hear what Brad has to say about his experiences in London. I am really looking forward to that.

The outstanding commitment to excellence shown by all of our athletes and their continuing goals, whether they are personal or team performances, are things all of us in this place admire and congratulate. We recognise and respect that. Their feats and endeavours have inspired people in their home towns—the little towns around my electorate. They watch the Olympics and the young children—and even those of us of a more mature age—are wishing that it was us out there. Whether it is athletics, cycling or any other form of athletic competition at the games, we are with our athletes the whole time and we celebrate with them. We understand and share their frustrations but we never question their commitment. We certainly know what can be achieved by their discipline and sacrifice, and they always give over and above.

The athletes are also the biggest endorsement for sporting participation, particularly in regional areas. As athletes have often said themselves, they have been lifted up on their journey with help from the parents and the people involved in grassroots sporting clubs, the hard yards when they are just young athletes, the people who come out in the rain and in the sun, and of course their parents, who initially are the encouragement. They encourage their children into sport. They are involved with their children's sports. They are mum and dad taxis. Day in and day out they do not complain. They want to give their children the best opportunity they can.

In my part of the world, as the children develop they become owned by the community as well as the parents, and everybody shares in what they do and achieve and shares in the disappointments. We see that constantly. We see parents who become drivers and personal coaches, who wave flags behind the goalposts and who help with injury recovery. The clubs that provide our children with sporting opportunities are only made possible by the dedicated countless hours of volunteering to the clubs from coaching and training to just washing the jumpers. Even if it is cutting oranges, no job is too big or too small.

I really want to thank and acknowledge all of those who support every athlete across this nation, not just our Olympians but even the little kids who are just having a lot of fun and who are inspired by those of our athletes like our Olympians who compete at the highest level. Above all, I hope the joy of sport and the opportunity for a happy, healthy pursuit encourages all of us to continue to enjoy sport in this nation. I salute all of our Olympic athletes.

Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Illawarra region is a nursery for great sporting champions, including Olympic champions. I would like to take the opportunity today to extend my congratulations to one local champion: local kayaking champion and gold medallist Dave Smith, a member of the Australian men's K4 team that claimed gold in the 1,000-metre final by more than half a boat length. Dave is a resident of Warilla, which is a suburb of my electorate of Throsby in New South Wales, and is now fondly referred to by locals as the Warilla Wonder after the fantastic effort he displayed at the London games. It was a victory that was all the more sweet, I am sure, after narrowly missing out on a medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. As Dave says, 'A few years and memories have been erased.'

There was little doubt in the minds of the Illawarra locals that Dave and the team would achieve gold in London. He is a natural athlete. He started competing at little nippers at Warilla surf club at the age of six and was achieving success in surf-lifesaving, iron man and kayaking competitions at a national level by the age of 14. In 2001 he was named Shellharbour Junior Sports Star of the Year and went on to represent New South Wales in the Australian titles, placing first in the under-19s double ski in 2003.

By this stage it was clear that Dave was destined for bigger and better things and he got this chance in 2004 when he was selected to represent Australia at the junior world cup regatta, finishing just outside the medals in both the K1 and K4 1,000-metre events. He bounced back in 2006 at the Australian championships, winning the K2 1,000 metres and winning again in 2007 and 2008 in the K4 events. In fact, Dave is part of the current national championship team after winning his fourth overall title and third K4 in the event earlier this year. He has already achieved more than most of us back home could ever dream and we could not be more proud of him. I am sure I am not alone in my anticipation of the 2016 games, where we will have the great opportunity to cheer our local hero, the Warilla Wonder, to another golden victory.

Dave's contributions to the Olympics are well celebrated, but there are many other people from the Illawarra that I would like to make mention of. They are the people who form the teams and also the people who give up their own time go to referee in some of these Olympic events, and I pay tribute at this moment to their contributions as well.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science, Technology and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge the great triumph of one of the golden girls of the Gold Coast, a local resident of Helensvale and a resident of the fighting electorate of Fadden: Sally Pearson. Sally, of course, won gold with a new Olympic record time of 12.35 seconds in the hurdles, beating American Dawn Harper, with 12.37—two-hundredths of a second—and Kelly Wells, with 12.48 seconds, both personal bests. It is an outstanding result from a young girl who has worked so hard through her life. Many may not realise it, but Sally was raised by single mum Anne, who worked her guts out—worked two jobs—just to make enough money to support her daughter's athletic career. She attended Helensvale State High School, where my wife was a teacher, and was part of their excellence in sport program. It is a great program that the school runs to identify, encourage and support high-quality, high-calibre athletes.

While still in primary school and just eight years of age Sally's talents were noticed by Sharon Hannan, who remains her coach today. Sally rose to prominence in 2001, 14 years old, when she won the Australian under-20 100-metre title. She made her debut at the 2003 World Youth Championships in Canada, and won gold in the 100-metre hurdles.

At the beginning of the following athletics season after the 2010 Commonwealth Games, she became the first Australian woman ever to win three national titles at the same event since Pam Kilborn did so back in 1968 when she won the 100 metres, the 200 metres and 100-metre hurdles. In November 2011 the International Association of Athletics Federations awarded Sally Pearson the 2011 Athlete of the Year. She is the first Australian to receive this award, and she also received prize money of $98,800. I think this is fabulous from the girl who battled with her single mum so that she could run.

Coming into the 2012 London Olympics for the 100-metre hurdles she had won 32 races from a staggering 34 starts. She led the competition after round 1 heats, and led coming into the final with a semi-final time of 12.39. And, of course, she has the new Olympic record of 12.35.

Sally embodies all that is great about the human spirit and all that is great about sport, not only as an equaliser but as an opportunity to rise above your odds. It does not matter how you were born or where you were born; the circumstances you come from are not limiting—we only limit ourselves. What matters is how we finish: that is, how we run, and that is how we race—the manner and spirit in which we race. And it is the dignity and the humility in which we accept victory. I think Sally embodies all of that and more. She is truly a great Australian and worthy of special recognition and notice in the House of Representatives this morning.

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The London Olympic Games of 2012 will live for a long time in our collective memories. At a time of conflict, and with economies in peril, Great Britain set aside these trials and was heroically triumphant in the face of doubters. It showed the world that there is much to celebrate.

For the first time in Olympic history women were included in every team, with three nations including female athletes for the very first time. Women competed more widely than ever before. Countries that have endured conflict in recent times found teams and joined the rest of the world to play games and to engage with each other. At the height of its conflict and all of the misery that battle delivers so cruelly and indiscriminately, Syria found 10 athletes from seven disciplines and transported them from war to participate in the enduring goal of the Olympic movement of building friendship and understanding through sporting engagement.

London, which has so often been the beacon of light in world leadership in dark times, shed its burdens and lifted the British spirit. The British people, reinvigorated, can now face adversity with new energy and optimism to triumph. And there we were, Australia, a small country whose national character is so defined by our love of sports. This is born from playing and competing, and the recognition of those who excel from our midst—those greats who we uphold as an ideal reflection of us. It is our sporting heroes who we hold up the highest: the Don, Evonne, Phar Lap, Rosewall, Elliott, Murray Rose and so many more maintain that special place in Australia's heart. How is it possible for leaders like Menzies, Chifley, Hollows or Howard to compare?

How do other countries define their greatness or national character? Where do Winston Churchill or Francis Drake sit with their great footballer, Stanley Matthews, or their three-time Wimbledon winner, Fred Perry, or Roger Bannister, the first man to break four minutes? The US is defined more by Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, John Kennedy and Martin Luther King than Mickey Mantle, Jesse Owens or Babe Ruth. Yes, more than anything else we hold our sporting greats in the highest esteem.

However, just as the official creed extols participation, the most important thing in the Olympic Games has been the underlying benefits to our society that most justify our fascination with sport. We have learned that nothing comes without hard work. The messages of sportsmanship: playing the rules, health, mateship, teamwork, responsibility for your actions and the flow-on of benefits from social interaction have been the values that serve as the bedrock from where our greats have come. Through endless competitions we have learnt that victory is a fleeting thing, and that when you lose there will always be another day.

This is the school that produces our best sports people, our nation's most esteemed representatives. During the two weeks of the Olympic Games we saw a man with no legs run, women compete in their hijabs and small island nations triumph over superpowers. The world took time out to marvel at athletes who could transform into an art form a sport that is so difficult just to play. In these two weeks that happen every four years the world becomes a better place. Our athletes who have participated with us and excelled at local levels, then state level, and now as national representatives have been worthy and a true reflection of us. They have trained hard, completed with their all, and displayed the full range of emotions that is normal when so much effort has been invested and the final result must be accepted. Win or lose, modest in victory or not, graceful in defeat or not, they have been our chosen representatives—a reflection of us and of our society. We should be proud of our representatives and the role they have played in making our world a better place through this sporting engagement.

Anyone who judges our participation in these Olympics by the medal count does not understand the true value of sport or the great Olympic movement. In these statements we celebrate 410 Australian athletes who went to London, from 16-year-old Brittany Broben to the slightly less young Mary Hanna, and from those who faltered at the first heat to those who sang our anthem on the dais. We applaud and thank every parent, carer and friend who has been an orange cutter, weekend taxi driver, amateur referee or coach, or just provided a clean pair of socks—you are all part of the Olympic team that we celebrate today.

The energy gained from those athletes and those great two weeks in London reinvigorated all of us for the Paralympic Games that started two weeks later. It is with some amusement that I note Channel 4's billboard advertisement placed next to London Olympic Stadium after the closing ceremony, which simply read, 'Thanks for the warm-up.' The world's Paralympic athletes certainly delivered, displaying superhuman abilities as they inspired all with the manner in which they have successfully overcome life's toughest challenges. There is no more powerful symbol of the importance of participation than the sight of Paralympic athletes achieving such incredible feats of strength, fitness, skill and endurance. For these athletes, their journey to London is surely the greatest achievement, and the rest is, more or less, just a game.

Over 300 Australians represented us and made us proud, just as those 410 Olympians did in the prior games. As policymakers, we can only hope that the achievements of all of our Olympic and Paralympic heroes can drive us all, across all generations, towards the enduring benefits of participation and to those core values that have made our sportspeople most esteemed of all Australians. More than any gold, silver or bronze, this is the goal of our nation's representatives and is, in fact, our greatest sporting achievement.

Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with others to honour the contribution of all those who represented our country at the London Olympic Games. Every four years, as we know, the world stops to look in awe and to watch in wonder at the athletic achievements of those who meet in the modern Olympics. But, as others have said, it is not just about the question of those who win medals. One of the great things about the Olympics is the fact that it brings the world together in peace to celebrate the very best aspects of the human spirit. When we look at that and we look at the question of the athletes and their achievements, we ought to focus on the fact that that is what it is about: it is about competing, it is about doing your best and it is about being part of a great international event.

The dedication of athletes in terms of the sacrifice that they make at a personal level in order to be able to get to the Olympics is absolutely phenomenal, and we know that many have given up so much in order that they can be there once every four years. But we also know that it is not just about the athletes; it is also about their families, the volunteers who are involved in local sporting clubs, those who take the invidious role of being an official, which often puts them into a difficult situation for those who are competing, and those who are administrators. All of them are part of that broader Olympic family. All of them are part of that great tradition that comes together every four years. In the sacrifice that is made by families—whether it be playing the taxi service, getting up at ungodly hours to assist those getting ready to train, or dealing with the bruises that come from getting out there and doing it as hard as you can—there is much to remember and it is not just about what happens on the day. But what happens on the day is the focus when you get to the Olympics. Frankly, we can be very proud of the efforts of those who represented our country on this occasion. Many won medals. Many made finals. Many did their very best, and that is what it is all about.

The nature of those competitions is that it is small countries; it is big countries; it is everybody out there having a go; and in all circumstances our people did the best that they could, and that best was very good. They were great representatives of Australia and also great representatives of local communities throughout this country—local communities who are justifiably proud. They are in themselves as Olympians very much seen to be representatives of the very best that people should aspire to; in that way they are role models for their broader community, and most have most definitely been role models of great significance.

As others have mentioned, following on from the Olympics was the Paralympics. The Paralympians are in so many ways absolutely inspiring—often dealing with disabilities of a significant nature, but who are prepared to do everything they can to prove that they can be everything that they can be. Their achievements were phenomenal. Their example is exemplary. We all salute them for their efforts and for their struggle. So to all those involved in the Olympics and the Paralympics I say: well done. Your achievements are significant. You ought to be very proud. We are very proud of you.

Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to congratulate our Australian Paralympic team for their success in this chamber. Now we have the opportunity to congratulate our Australian Olympic team. One of our greatest Australian athletes, Herb Elliott, once said:

It is the inspiration of the Olympic Games that drives people not only to compete but to improve, and to bring lasting spiritual and moral benefits to the athlete and inspiration to those lucky enough to witness the athletic dedication.

We have certainly witnessed our athletes' dedication during the London Olympic Games and, regardless of whether or not they won, it is their passion and courage that inspires us all to work hard to achieve our dreams.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate two of my constituents: Samantha Reid from Tanah Merah and Lyndsie Fogarty from Shailer Park for their outstanding contribution to the London Olympic Games. Samantha Reid was part of the Australian Olympic team that secured sixth place at the Spanish open synchronised swimming competition in Madrid in July. They had hoped for a similar result, a top-six position at the London Olympics; however, they were not as successful as they hoped and unfortunately finished last in the technical routine and in the free routine. But it is not so much where they finished as the fact that they got out there, competed and did their best on the day. It was a great achievement to have been selected to represent our nation in synchronised swimming, and I am very proud of her efforts.

Lyndsie Fogarty, a local kayaker, won bronze in the K4 500-metre sprint event at the Beijing Olympics; however, she just missed out at this year's London Games. It was a fantastic achievement to have made the semifinals in the K4 500-metre sprint and to have placed fourth in the B final of the K2 500-metre events.

Kimberley Park State School—one of the schools in my electorate—would be very proud of their former student Mitchell Watt, who is considered one of Logan's greatest success stories at the games. Mitchell Watt jumped 8.16 metres in the long jump to secure silver at the games, which was a welcome addition to the overall performance of our track and field athletes.

A few weeks ago I attended a welcome home ceremony for the Gold Coast Olympians. My electorate covers parts of both the Logan City Council and the Gold Coast City Council, and I felt very honoured to have been invited to attend the ceremony. From just going around the room and meeting those Olympians, I know we are certainly blessed as a community but more so as a nation, by the wonderful and talented athletes in Logan and the Gold Coast. As a nation we tend to pose huge expectations on our Olympians and, despite not winning the official medal tally for the London Olympic Games, there is always a way to celebrate the success of our Olympic team.

In an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, statistician Brian Dawes formulated the only true and just statistical representation of Olympic medal performance. Dawes calls it the MAP methodology:

Based on a crafty combination of medals won, athletes in your team and your country's population, I am pleased to advise that the real winner of the London Olympics is Australia!

Using the formula of medals won multiplied by athletes in your team divided by home count population, here are the top four: Australia 632, Great Britain 565, Hungary 268 and Russia 250. Team USA only scored 175 and China only 23. However, as the founder of the International Olympic Committee Pierre de Coubertin once said:

The important thing in life is not victory but combat; it is not to have vanquished but to have fought well.

There are a number of ways to look at our success in the London Olympic Games, but I believe that the real winners are those who dedicate so much of their time to their sport, to being good role models for our younger generations and to being great ambassadors for our country. The satisfaction of inspiring others to live their dreams and represent this country at an international level is, in itself, worth its weight in gold, medal or no medal.

Later in the year I will be holding a ceremony for our local sporting champions. I will be congratulating young sporting champions such as Rachael Harcombe, Gemma Brinkman, Jack Goodsell, Blake Cearns, Skye Nicolson, Nevyn Livingstone, Angela Beard, Lizaya Iti, Samuel Jones, Joshua Tierney, Jake Greusmuhl, Tamara Tisdall, Jake Otago, Nicolas Preston-Smith, Frederyk Woodhouse and the Sarah Atkins Netball team. Each time I meet one of these aspiring young sportsmen or sportswomen, I believe in their ability to be the best they can be. These are young men and women who are already competing at a state or national level in their chosen sport and may very well be our future Olympians. I say well done to the Australian Olympic team and I wish all the best for those who aspire to take part in the next Olympic Games in Rio in Brazil in four years' time.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to join in congratulating those Australian athletes who brought great honour to our country by their success at the Olympics and the Paralympics. To win an Olympic gold medal or for that matter any medal is a crowning achievement of a sporting life. All of the athletes who succeed at international level have worked for decades to develop their talent and have reached the pinnacle of their sport. The Paralympics results were an extraordinary success for our country. Our fifth place in the Paralympics erased some of the disappointment that was around about Australia achieving only tenth place on the medal tally at the Olympics. However, it needs to be acknowledged that in most sports Australia achieved around expectations.

Our tenth was certainly a credible result, but it was not up to Australia's previous achievements and there has been some criticism and soul-searching about why Australia's performances were below our expectation. Of course, there should be. It is appropriate that after a major event of this nature we look at how we can do better. There has been criticism of coaches and funding—that there was not enough funding, that there were too many officials there, there was too much hype and perhaps even unjustified expectations. One constituent wrote to me, drawing attention to the fact that we do not provide substantial financial rewards to our successful athletes. This person drew attention to Singapore, where apparently there is a $1 million reward offered to anyone who can win a gold medal. To be fair, Singapore has never won a gold medal in Olympic history and so I guess for them it would be a special prize, but it also demonstrates that money is not what delivers sporting success—it is dedication and commitment.

It is appropriate that there be a thorough examination of how our team was prepared, what our reasonable expectations for the future are, if the level of funding is appropriate and what we need to do to make sure we do as well as we can at the next Olympics. We have a tradition of excellence in sport and our achievements on the sporting field very much inspire our country. Those results are just as important to us as succeeding in business or economics—if we do well on the sports field we feel proud of ourselves as a nation.

Perhaps we need to look more fundamentally at why there was some disappointment with our Olympic results. I would like to read an extract from a letter to the editor in my local newspaper from a Mr Phil Enright from River Heads. He said:

The sad fact is that for decades, our nation has been losing its work ethic and intensity, instead placing the weight of expectation on our athletes to produce gold at the Olympics so we may continue to delude ourselves we are a nation of hard-working, high achievers—the opposite of whom we have become.

I suggest our athletes' achievements reflect our own more than we might like to admit.

If we want our athletes to commit intensely to a work ethic of excellence and high achievement, we must commit to those values as a nation. We must stop championing mediocrity, rewarding any 'achievement', and the view of entitlement that we can be guaranteed the things we want, just because we are fortunate to be born in the lucky country.

The Olympic Games is a great leveller, and a reminder that spin is no substitute for serious commitment.

The answer is not more money but the right values and the leadership to commit to them as a nation …

Mr Enright has made a very powerful point. If we want to be critical of our athletes, perhaps we also ought to look at ourselves. Our lifestyle has changed in quite dramatic ways over the years. Perhaps the major Olympic disappointment was our results in the swimming pool. Swimming is a sport which requires an enormous commitment, and not just from the athletes who participate; many of them begin their swimming careers at a very young age and they depend on their parents to take them to the pool to train before dawn every day. It is a huge commitment, not just from teenagers and children but also from their parents. In this day and age, many families are two-income families, and there are fly-in fly-out parents. Children spend a lot of time in childcare centres and after-school care and do not have parents available to drive them to the pool or who have time to take them to competitions. Then there are the costs to be met in the early years before they might qualify for sponsorship. It is a fact that our lifestyle is changing our commitment to sport, and if we want to criticise our athletes I think we need also to look at ourselves and our lifestyle.

There are real issues confronting our sporting community. We can be very proud of our athletes, who have represented us with great distinction. In reviewing our athletes' performance we need to remember the enormous personal commitment that they have made in a changing world, when it is a lot harder to make that commitment than it might have been in previous times. I congratulate those whose success brought honour to our country at the Olympics and the Paralympics, and we wish them well for the future.

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to speak on this, our parliament's recognition of our athletes' tremendous performance at the Olympics. I, like many Australians, was astounded by how good these Olympics were. I give full credit to the UK and London for hosting a tremendous games from the very start. The opening ceremony was one of the best opening ceremonies you could ever have witnessed, demonstrating the full breadth of creativity and ingenuity within the London organising committee and within the UK. It was just tremendous to see them put on that opening ceremony.

I had an opportunity to see Lord Coe when he was here in Australia. He visited Parliament House and gave an update to parliamentarians on the progress of the games, and he has been here a number of times. He is a truly impressive individual and deserves full credit for how well those games went. He is a fantastic individual. I do not think there has been an Olympic Games in living memory where there has not been something that has potentially been a dark cloud on the horizon. It really is a test of how you recover from that, and certainly I thought Lord Coe managed it magnificently and was able to demonstrate that these are not insurmountable hurdles; they are things that you just have to deal with and move on from.

So it certainly was a pleasure to be able to see over the course of those great days back in July and August how well the games were run. In particular, they gave a platform and venue for our athletes to shine. I want to pick up on the comments from the member for Wide Bay, because it was a subject of discussion about our performance relative to years gone past. This is a discussion that could have changed in a nanosecond. In some cases the difference between gold and silver—and that is what we are talking about here—was only a matter of milliseconds. But those milliseconds need to be taken in the context of the huge amount of time that our athletes dedicate—not just themselves and the people around them but their families too—to ensuring that they are at their peak performance. It is a huge contribution that is made.

Like other members who have spoken through this debate, I also want to celebrate some achievements of locals who have been able to participate in these games. In particular, I want to talk about Olympian Beki Lee from Mount Druitt, in the electorate of Chifley. She is 25 and grew up in Mount Druitt. She smashed her personal best at the London Games. Then, on top of that—you could not get any better—she accepted a marriage proposal to boot from her boyfriend, Dan Smith, at the finish line. So it was a fantastic string of events for her. As an Indigenous woman representing Australia at the games, she occupies a special place in the hearts of many, particularly in my electorate, where so many people are proud of their Aboriginal ancestry and history. It was just fantastic to see how well she did at these games and particularly all the things that she can look forward to in married life. Beki had identified with former Olympic gold medallist Cathy Freeman as someone who had inspired her, and now she will in her own way inspire others to do great things. So congratulations from all the residents of the Chifley electorate to Beki and Dan on their future life together.

I would not be able to speak in this special moment within parliament without recognising the efforts in a sport that I have a particular passion for, basketball. Both the Boomers and the Opals in these games were up against exceptionally tough competitors but excelled themselves magnificently. I want to quickly run through, in particular, some of the efforts of both teams, the Boomers and the Opals. The Boomers in the end went down to Team USA, the Dream Team, the team that Kobe Bryant said would have bested the 1992 team, the original Dream Team. I think there is a degree of merit in Kobe Bryant's sentiments there, though I have to say that at the time I was a bit sceptical. But the Boomers held their own against the team that had devastated so many other national teams. The undefeated Americans led through the course of the game, but the Boomers kept going. In particular, in the second half there was some inspiring play from 'Patty' Mills, an Indigenous player who has been a representative of our country in the NBA in America, playing for Portland, and who shows the world how good the depth of talent is in the Australian basketball community. Patty Mills, I might add, had the opportunity to meet President Obama last year and, on walking towards him, President Obama exclaimed, 'Now this is a man with speed!' So even President Obama has recognised the explosive talent Patty Mills has. And it is not just talent that is directed on the court but talent that is mindful of what needs to be done in the community. Patty Mills is an absolute role model for others in the community, and he is trying to be a role model not just for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids across the country but also for those who want to follow in his footsteps in the game of basketball.

While they went down to the US, we saw some fantastic games from the Boomers. In the game with Great Britain, Patty Mills scored 39 points. There were some tough games against Spain. The Boomers won in an upset against Russia, a team that, particularly in Andrei Kirilenko, had some pretty seasoned athletes. Then they went on to face some pretty tough talent in the US team.

The Boomers have a stack of great players but I want to point out in particular the efforts of an up-and-comer in Matthew Dellavedova, who is the next great thing on the horizon for Australian basketball. He plays in college basketball in the States. I saw him play in the qualifiers against New Zealand. He has incredible defensive skills, being able to shut down opponents, and he stepped up in the Olympics. The great thing about the Olympics is that they give players the opportunity to shine at unexpected moments, and he certainly took up that opportunity. Coach Brett Brown is an assistant coach in the NBA in America, with the San Antonio Spurs, so again we have Australians excelling over there in one of the prime basketball competitions in the world. We need to thank Brett Brown for all his efforts with the team.

I have a soft spot for the Opals, as many people do. We saw Lauren Jackson rightfully being the flag bearer for our Olympic team in the opening ceremony. She is humble off court but a fierce competitor on court. Lauren Jackson has been recognised as one of the world's best players. She hit the record books by breaking the Olympic scoring record for women's basketball. She hit a jumper, with three minutes 46 remaining, in the team's win over China that gave her an impressive 536 points scored in Olympics, one more than former Brazilian star Janeth Arcain in her Olympic total. Lauren Jackson finished London on a 575-career-point high. That is a tremendous recognition of effort. We saw another up-and-comer in Liz Cambage, who has played for Tulsa in the WNBA in America and has come back to Australia to play with Bulleen. She became the first woman in an Olympic event to slam dunk, causing a sensation by doing so. She has just celebrated her 21st birthday and has a huge future ahead of her.

In that talented Opals team I want to pay particular attention to coach Carrie Graf. In Australia, she coaches the Canberra Capitals and has been tremendous in guiding the women's team. I have huge admiration and respect for her. She is not afraid to make some tough calls, particularly when she feels that players could be doing better. That is a sign of a true leader. I want to congratulate her and the Opals on the way they have performed.

While the Boomers and the Opals did not get to where they wanted to, they held their heads up high on the world stage. It is worth noting that in a sport that is No. 2 globally, played in 213 countries, we are in the top three. Within Australia a million men and women play the game, and they would all be proud to see the way our national team performed. While talking about the Olympics here I cannot overlook the performance of two special Paralympians that I am exceptionally proud of, and I think a lot of others would share the sentiment. I know we did have an opportunity to talk about the Paralympics earlier but I want to make special reference to these two people as I did not have an opportunity to speak in that earlier debate. In particular, I want to recognise Kylie Gauci from Rooty Hill. Kylie was on the Aussie Gliders women's basketball team in the Paralympics. They went down in the gold medal match. They claimed the silver against Germany, and Kylie was an inspiration for the Gliders. She led the scoring charge with 15 points and five assists, and through Twitter she was getting a lot of feedback from excited fans about her efforts over there. She was an absolute credit to us and I am looking forward to catching up with Kylie on her return and personally congratulating her for her efforts with that team.

The Rollers, the men's basketball team, also went down but charged all the way through the competition. Again, they can also hold their heads up high. It is worth noting that here in Australia we have both the National Wheelchair Basketball League and the women's WMBL. The National Wheelchair Basketball League has been going for quarter of a century, and the women's competition for 13 years. They have become an incubator for the Rollers and Glider players, and they have strong state and national programs providing young athletes with access to expert coaching and training facilities. I just want to give a shout out to both the Rollers and the Gliders for making us all proud of their incredible efforts.

The final person I want to recognise is someone that I have had a lot to do with, and whom I think is an absolute credit to not only the local community but also to our nation, and that is Jayme Richardson-Paris, a cyclist from Quakers Hill. I got to see a truly moving video of Jayme. Her first moments of life were some of her most challenging. She really had to put on a brave battle to be able to get through. Her family rallied around her and have been a constant source of support. She won bronze in these Paralympics after getting into the sport, from my recollection, only in 2004. She was able to show with determination matched with her own innate skill how far she could go. She is a graduate of the Doonside Technology High School. She went back to her high school and I was able to be there with her back in late July before she set off for London. She attended Doonside Technology High from 2002 until 2008. Jayme was born with Cerebellar Ataxia which is a disorder that basically impacts on the coordination, balance and eye movements. She is able to overcome that and participate in cycling in a way that stands her in fantastic stead. She suffered a bout of ataxia during her first two laps at the velodrome, which sent her arms into uncontrollable spasms and shook the bike, but again, demonstrating that fighting ability, she overcame that and went on to take bronze in the C1. This is someone who broke her second C1 world record in as many races with a time of 40.476 seconds. She was recently married to her husband Ashley, and her family and all her supporters have been just overwhelmed by her successes. I would like to give the chamber a sense of the humility of this athlete.

She thanked her fans, in the local Blacktown Advocate, for all the support she received. I would like to read her moving comments into the Hansard:

'I can't wait to get home so I can share it with all of you and don't forget it's not my medal or my result, it's our medal and our results,' she said.

'It's Blacktown's, it Woodcroft Plaza's, it's everyone I run into in Blacktown Westpoint, it's all my nan's friends at the Blacktown Workers, it's Doonside High School's, it's Jasper Road's, it's postcode 2763.'

She is just a truly humble athlete. Again, a lot of our athletes are so humble and so willing to give of themselves, but they are also fierce competitors, showing the rest of the world that the Australian teams and athletes who play on the world stage cannot be taken for granted, because they have such a huge fighting spirit.

I commend all the athletes for their efforts. I want to pay particular attention to their families and friends, who also give of themselves, and while they might not be on the podium they have a right to share in that success.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Briefly, I would like to add my comments on the 2012 Olympic Games to the record. First of all, I would like to congratulate the City of London on the fantastic job that they did of hosting the event. Second, I want to speak about the efforts of our Olympians generally. A lot was said about their results, and I found myself wondering how a result that is a fraction of a second slower than the gold medal performance can be seen as a failure. When you get that close to being the best in the world, everyone should be very proud. In general terms, I think the Olympics are great for not only Australian pride but also highlighting the importance of sport and an active lifestyle. So I compliment the team on that.

But what I really want to speak about today is someone from the Parkes electorate, a young man that I know personally—a young Aboriginal man from Moree by the name of Cameron Hammond. Cameron Hammond is one of the most respectful, polite and inspiring young men that I have had the opportunity to meet. He is a boxer in the welterweight division and competed in that division in London. Cameron started his boxing career in Moree. I would also like to pay tribute to his coach, Danny Cheetham, who has mentored and trained Cameron—and Cameron actually lived in Danny's home for a lot of that time. He has been a real inspiration to Cameron, I know. Cameron has spent quite a bit of time at the Australian Institute of Sport as well.

As a son of Moree Cameron has made the entire community incredibly proud. Indeed, yesterday, students from Moree East Public School were in Parliament House, and they were telling me how proud they were that one of their number was an Olympian. Through Cameron's efforts, these young people can see that it does not matter where you grow up or in what circumstances; if you apply yourself, if you set goals for yourself and if you work hard, you can mix it with the best in the world.

Cameron won his first fight, defeating Nigerian boxer Moustapha Abdoulaye Hima 13-6 in his preliminary round on day 2 of the London Olympics. In the next round, he faced up to Canadian Custio Clayton but was unfortunately defeated 14-11 in that bout. But I think what really sums up Cameron are some of the messages he posted on his Facebook page—he is one of my Facebook friends—after that loss, and I will read out a couple. He wrote:

Well I lost my fight :( Sorry everyone! He was a good fighter, very strong. No excuses about the loss. But I made the top 16 in the world and now I'm an Olympian for life. It definitely has been the best experience of my life. So proud to represent my country and my culture at the Olympics. Thank you so much to everyone that has been supporting me yous have been great. Can't wait to see you all when I get back to Australia. Now just go and enjoy London and do some sight seeing.

And a couple of days later:

Well, that's it. The Olympics are finished! It's a little emotional :(

I enjoyed myself here, had so much fun. Proud to be here representing my country and culture. Gotta say the opening and closing ceremony were amazing! I didn't get a medal like I wanted to but I tried my best. London Olympics 2012 was the best experience of my life so thank you to everyone that helped and supported me. Leaving tonight and will be back in Australia Wednesday!

Olympian for life :)

I think that sums up the Olympic spirit. Cameron Hammond, who grew up on the streets of Moree and is a fine young man, has had the experience of his life. I think, with Cameron's case, that the Olympics is the start of Cameron's career and not the finish.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on behalf of the Ryan electorate in congratulating the Australian Olympic team on their success at the recent London Olympic Games.

London was an ideal host city for the 2012 Olympic Games, with well-equipped venues for the world's best athletes and fantastic weather for the competition. I join with the member for Chifley, who commented on the outstanding organisation led by Lord Sebastian Coe, who was not only a great organiser but also a great ambassador for the Olympics.

We should all be very proud of each and every one of Australia's athletes and their efforts in London. As a combined team they delivered seven gold medals, 16 silver medals and 12 bronze medals, ensuring that Australia finished 10th out of 204 nations. This is a wonderful achievement for our nation—particularly given some of the other top 10 countries, including the host nation and the traditional powerhouses of the United States of America, Russia and China.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognise some of the outstanding athletes from the Ryan electorate who contributed to our successful Olympic campaign. In fact, the Ryan electorate added seven medals to Australia's haul. Cate Campbell was part of the golden 4 x 100-metre freestyle relay team. Fellow swimmer Christian Sprenger brought home silver in the men's 100-metre breast stroke and was also a member of the winning men's 4 x 100 medley relay team. I recently saw Christian's mother, Sharon, at the Brookfield Uniting Church community market's day. Understandably, she was very proud and delighted with her son's success.

Another teammate of Christian's is Bronte Barratt, who took out bronze in the 200-metre women's freestyle and who was a member of the women's 4 x 200-metre freestyle relay, which was awarded silver. Sophie Smith and Bronwen Knox were members of the women's water polo team, which took out bronze, and meanwhile, Mitchell Watt took out silver in the long jump.

I would also like to congratulate Mitch Larkin, who was a finalist in the men's 200-metre backstroke, and our young canoeists Alex Haase and Jake Donaghey, who made the men's canoe double C2 100-metre final. Alex is trained by Mr Kevin Crisp, who has been coaching canoeists at Nudgee Junior College in Ryan and other young people around Brisbane for many years.

I am also pleased to recognise a number of athletes from the Ryan electorate who took on the world's best in their chosen fields at the Olympics. Track cyclist Michael Hepburn, diver James Connor, swimmer Kenrick Monk, synchronised swimmer Francesca Owen, volleyball player Andrew Grant, and water polo player Rhys Howden. We are all extremely proud of these athletes, and on behalf of the entire Ryan electorate I congratulate them on their outstanding efforts at this year's Olympic Games and wish them well in the lead-up to Rio 2016.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Naturally, I would like to congratulate all the winners of the Australian medals and say how well our Australian team did. However, at the end of the day, the true Olympic spirit is not about winning, nor is it about medal tallies. The Olympic Games Charter states that the Olympics are:

… a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.

The charter continues:

The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.

Therefore, for me the true inspiration that embodies the ideal and the meaning behind the Olympic charter is not that of Usain Bolt, nor Michael Phelps, nor Sally Pearson, nor any of the other Australian games winners. For me the true inspiration that embodies the ideal behind the meaning of the Olympic charter at the summer 2012 Olympic Games is Oscar Pistorius, the blade runner, the man who became the first amputee runner to compete at the Olympic Games next to able-bodied athletes.

Oscar Pistorius was born on 22 November 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a congenital absence of the fibula in both legs. When he was just 11 months old both his legs were amputated halfway between his knees and his ankles. Pistorius credits his late mother, who died at the age of 42 when he was just 15 years old, as a major influence on his life. Before his mother died she wrote him a letter, just before the amputation of his lower legs when he was only 11 months old, for him to read later in life as an adult. The letter stated, and these are words that we should all learn from: 'The real loser is never the person who crosses the finishing line last. The real loser is the person who sits on the side, the person who does not even try to compete.'

For Pistorius, his Olympic appearance was the culmination of years of fighting just to compete. Pistorius not only had to overcome the disability of having both legs amputated; he also had to fight the bureaucracy of the International Association of Athletics Federations to have the simple right to compete against able-bodied athletes. In 2007 the International Association of Athletics Federations banned Pistorius from competing in able-bodied competitions. But Pistorius did not take no for an answer and he pursued them all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, simply seeking the opportunity to compete.

For any able-bodied person who has played any sport, the notion that a man without legs could have some type of advantage over his able-bodied rivals to compete is an affront to our common sense. A man without legs does not have the muscles to explode out of the starting block at the same rate as other runners, and a man without legs cannot lean forward and run aerodynamically, as other runners can, due to the fact that his artificial legs force him to stand more upright. But thankfully common sense prevailed and Pistorius was successful in his appeal. He won his legal battle against the sport's ruling body in 2008, after the court of arbitration ruled his carbon fibre blades did not give him any unfair advantage.

Pistorius is quoted as saying of his legal battle for the simple right to compete:

My focus throughout this appeal has been to ensure that disabled athletes be given the chance to compete and compete fairly with able-bodied athletes.

Having won that battle, Pistorius's next battle was to train, to try and achieve the qualification standard for the games and be selected for the South African team. History shows he was successful in that.

For the record, Pistorius competed in the 2012 London Olympics and in the first heat of the 400 metres he finished second with a time of 45.44 seconds, his personal best for the season, and advanced to the semifinals. In the semifinals he finished eighth and last. He was also a member of the South African four by 400 metres relay team, an event in which he eventually finished eighth out of a field of nine in the final on 10 August, with Pistorius running the final leg in 45.9 seconds.

Although Pistorius did not even look like winning a medal, he achieved something far, far more important. He lifted the aspirations of tens of thousands of disabled sportsmen, and that is enough to assure him his place in Olympic history. His continued advocacy for disabled people by setting the example and showing that anything is possible will no doubt help inspire children that through sheer grit and determination they can turn any disadvantage into an opportunity. But his message is also for us all. When we are faced with any adversity, through hard work, sheer grit and determination we can overcome significant odds. To the extent that the Olympics are about showing the world what a human being is capable of and that as humans we will not accept limits, that extraordinary athlete Oscar Pistorius was the true giant of the London Olympics.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise also to pay tribute to the 410 talented and committed members of the Australian 2012 London Olympics team. I would also like to thank the families, the coaches, the volunteers and the team staff for their commitment and support of our outstanding Olympians. The calibre of our Australian Olympic athletes, coupled with their attitude and excellent sportsmanship, makes me proud to be Australian. The Northern Territory—which I talk about quite often in here; in fact, every time I speak I talk about the Northern Territory—has an excellent track record when it comes to sporting ability and we have a solid history of producing Olympic athletes. I would like to share some of the previous Olympic talent that we have had from the Northern Territory.

Our very first Olympian was the late Michael Ah Matt, who was selected to play basketball for Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and, again, in Mexico in 1968. Michael was the first Indigenous person to represent Australia and was deservedly inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010—

A division having been called the House of Representatives—

S itting s uspended from 12:21 to 12:51

As I was saying, Darwin born softball catcher Kerry Dienelt trained at the Northern Territory Institute of Sport before she went on to captain the Australian women's softball team, which claimed bronze at both the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics. Then there was Darwin born Frank Farina, who was selected to play soccer for Australia at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. Then we have Darwin born and Northern Territory Institute of Sport trained swimmer Ian Vander-Wal, who was selected as part of the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games team.

Silver and bronze medallist swimmer Geoff Huegill was born in Nhulunbuy and has represented Australia at two Olympics Games. Darwin born and dual gold medallist cyclist Graeme Brown also represented Australia and the Northern Territory at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Shot-putter Justin Anlezark, who was born in Katherine, was selected for the Australian Olympic team in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

At Sydney's 2000 Olympics, the Northern Territory was extremely proud to have three representatives selected for the Australian Olympic team in the men's boxing: Darwin born Paul Miller, Alice Springs born James Swan and Northern Territory Institute of Sport trained Henry Collins. Pistol shooter Christine Trefry trained at the Northern Territory Institute of Sport before she also went on to represent Australia at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Further to the previous athletes I mentioned that have represented not only the Northern Territory but Australia at Olympic level, there is no doubt that in the Northern Territory the most successful sport of all at the Olympic level is hockey. Australia has been represented in hockey by numerous Northern Territory athletes, including: Stephen Holt, who won bronze in the Sydney 2000 Olympics; Mark Hickman, who won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004; Des Abbott, who won bronze in the Beijing 2008 Olympics; and of course no-one can forget Nova Peris, who was the first Aboriginal Australian and Northern Territory athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. Nova did this at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and then, amazingly, in 1997 she changed to athletics and went on to be one of only a handful of Australian athletes to compete in two different sports at the Olympic level, making it into the 400-metre semi-final at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

As you can see, the Northern Territory has a strong history of elite sporting talent, a solid legacy for our future athletes to follow. Our involvement in the 2012 London Olympics was quite modest. All Northern Territory residents were delighted that we were to have cousins Des Abbott and Joel Carroll selected to represent Australia in the men's hockey team. Unfortunately, Des was ruled out of the squad before the Games due to a knee injury. Joel, however, went on to win bronze when the Kookaburras downed Great Britain 3-1 in the bronze medal play-off. The pair now have matching bronze medals.

The Northern Territory would also like to claim success in the pool with Katherine-born swimmer Leisel Jones, who has become a well-known Olympic icon. London was Leisel's fourth Olympic Games, having previously competed in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Games. Leisel has made the Northern Territory, Australia and me personally proud, being rewarded for her dedication and winning three gold medals during her career as well as a silver medal in the recent London Olympics.

2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, like Leisel Jones, was born in Katherine. The London Olympics was the fourth time he had been selected to represent Australia. First selected in 1996 and 2000 to represent Australia in the men's mountain bike cross-country, Cadel moved to the men's road racing and was chosen to represent Australia in 2008 and 2012. Unfortunately, Cadel had to withdraw from the men's time trial only days before the competition due to illness, but there is no doubt of the athlete's elite level of performance and achievements so far.

It is not only our Northern Territory athletes that I wish to congratulate today. I am in awe of our entire Australian Olympic team and would like to thank each and every one of them and their families for their dedication and determination, and for the sacrifices they have made during their sporting careers. No-one can deny it is an amazing achievement and an absolute honour to represent your country. Everyone acknowledges that it is not all about the medals; and while it may be disappointing for the members themselves that many of our talented team did not win a medal, they must know that all Australians are extremely proud of each and every one of our Olympic athletes and that we are grateful for the way that they proudly represented their country.

I would like to acknowledge our medal winning Olympians. Gold medals were won by Sally Pearson, women's 100-metre hurdles; Jacob Clear, Tate Smith, David Smith and Murray Stewart; Anne Meares; Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page; Iain Jensen and Nathan Outteridge; Thomas Slingsby; and Cate Campbell, Alicia Coutts, Brittany Elmsie and Melanie Schlanger.

Silver medals went to Jared Tallent; Mitchell Watt; Jessica Fox; Samuel Willoughby; Jack Bobridge; Rohan Dennis; Michael Hepburn and Glenn O'Shea;    Brittany Broben; rowing four, James Chapman, Joshua Dunkley-Smith, Drew Ginn and William Lockwood; Kimberly Crow and Brooke Pratley; Kate Hornsey and Sarah Tait; Nina Curtis, Olivia Price and Lucinda Whitty; James Magnussen, Christian Sprenger, Emily Seebohm; Alicia Coutts; the women's 200m individual medley team of Leisel Jones, Alicia Coutts, Melanie Schlanger and Emily Seebohm; and the women's four by 200-metre freestyle relay team, Bronte Barratt, Alicia Coutts, Kylie Palmer and Melanie Schlanger.

Bronze medals were won by the Opals, the Australian women's basketball team, consisting of Suzy Batkovic, Abby Bishop, Elizabeth Cambage, Laura Hodges, Lauren Jackson, Rachel Jarry, Kathleen Macleod, Jenna O'Hea, Sam Richards, Jennifer Screen, Belinda Snell and Kristi Willoughby; by Shane Perkins, Annette Edmondson, Kaarle McCulloch and Anna Meares; the Kookaburras, the men's hockey team, made up of Nathan Burgers, Matthew Butturini, Joel Carroll, Christopher Cirello, Liam De Young, Timothy Deavin, Jamie Dwyer, Russell Ford, Matt Gohdes, Kieran Govers, Fergus Kavanagh, Mark Knowles, Edward Ockenden, Simon Orchard, Matthew Swan and Glenn Turner; the men's rowing quad sculls, Karsten Fosterling, James McRae, Christopher Morgan and Daniel Noonan; the men's four by 100-metre medley relay, Christian Sprenger, Hayden Stoeckel, Matthew Targett and James Magnussen; Alicia Coutts, Bronte Barratt and Erin Densham; and the women's water polo team, Gemma Beadsworth, Victoria Brown, Kate Gynther, Bronwen Knox, Holly Lincoln-Smith, Alicia McCormack, Jane Moran, Glencora Ralph, Melissa Rippon, Sophie Smith, Ashleigh Southern, Rowena Webster and Nicola Zagame.

Well done to all of these people, and congratulations to you all on your outstanding achievement. I think it is important that you all know that we as Australians are very proud of you as members of the Australian Olympic team. On behalf of my electorate of Solomon, thank you for your hard work and dedication. We respect you all and, whether you won a medal or not, you will be known as Olympians for life. Well done. We are proud of you.

Debate adjourned.

Federation chamber adjourned at 13:01