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

Today I rise to present to the House a petition that has been certified by the House Standing Committee on Petitions.

The petition read as follows—

To the honourable the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives

This petition of concerned supporters of women's basketball in Australia draws to the attention of the House that because of Federal Liberal Government cuts to the ABC, the 2014/15 Wattle Valley WNBL season will be the last shown on ABC TV live around Australia. This will end ABC's 35 years of broadcasting and promotion of this elite women's sport in Australia.

We therefore ask the House to:

from 987 citizens

Petition received.

Women's sport in this country is elite. It is professional. And it is time that this government got behind women's sport to ensure that, like men's sport, it has equal coverage and it has the funding that it needs. The only way to ensure that women's sport will get the chance is to ensure that it has the funding. We call on the government and the board to support the WNBL next season.