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

I rise to acknowledge the work of the South West Academy of Sport in Bunbury, which aims to identify talented local athletes and to help them reach their potential. The academy provides high-performance pathways and programs that are delivered locally in the south-west. The academy relies on financial support from the Western Australian state government, local business and the south-west community to meet the cost of providing ongoing high-level training programs. It offers individual scholarship programs and talent development pathways in Australian Rules football, basketball, cricket, hockey, netball and tennis, and it gives local athletes the best possible chance of making it to the top of their sport. Access to top tier coaches, specialist training and services, such as sports psychology and nutrition, rounds out the program and presents athletes with the skills to build a long and rewarding career in sport.

The academy also brings top athletes to the south-west region to inspire local talent. Kim Mickle, who won a silver medal at last year's world athletics championships in Moscow and has her sights set on the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, was in Bunbury earlier this month with fellow WAIS scholarship holders Cruz Hogan and Morgan Ward to prepare for their upcoming competitions.

This is a very good program. I congratulate the chair, Don Punch; the CEO, Bernice Butlion; and the whole community for getting behind this very worthwhile academy of sport in the south-west.