Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's 10 days to go until the 21st Commonwealth Games begin on the Gold Coast. What an exciting time it is for Australia, for fans, for sportspeople—we have watched our sports progress over the decades on television—and, of course, for the players themselves. It's no secret in this place that I am a very keen netballer and a great fan of the Australian Diamonds. I can't wait to cheer them on as they once again play for the gold medal at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

It will be a great Commonwealth Games for women. I'd like to thank the member for Lindsay for bringing this timely motion on. We missed celebrating International Women's Day because we were away from the parliament. So I've shaped my contribution on this motion around women's participation in the Commonwealth Games. In the first Commonwealth Games, in 1930, women competed in just seven medal events. Haven't we come a long way since then! At the 2014 games, women competed in 48.5 per cent of medal events. That's an interesting statistic because today in the Labor caucus we are celebrating the representation of women in our federal parliamentary team reaching 48 per cent.

In 2018, at the upcoming games on the Gold Coast, history will be made. There will be an equal number of opportunities for men and women to compete in medal events. This is a breakthrough moment for women's sport. It's a fantastic achievement for sport and for women's involvement in it. It's exciting that young girls can watch the Comm Games and aspire to have the same opportunities to compete in sport as their brothers do. The gender barriers are slowly being broken down, paving the way for more involvement and participation. In that regard, I commend the leaders in sport who have a vision for women's participation over many years and who have actively implemented strategies to make what we're going to see a reality. We will see Sally Pearson leading the charge on the athletics track, the Wallaroos battling it out in the rugby sevens and the Hockeyroos on the hockey field among the 6,600 athletes and team officials vying for gold when the games begin.

Importantly, I want to celebrate the Diamonds and their terrific build-up towards these Commonwealth Games. Of course, you can never take a gold medal for granted. There's no doubt that they are the premier team, coached exquisitely by Lisa Alexander. The team is being led, again, by Caitlin Bassett, who I think was named the world's best netballer, joined by our fabulous goal shooter, vice-captain Gabi Simpson, who is always there in that wing defence position and always putting the pressure on. Laura Geitz will join the Diamonds again for the Comm Games, and I know every Queenslander in Australia will be celebrating that fact. She'll be joined by April Brandley, Courtney Bruce and Melbourne's own Jo Weston in the defence line-up for the Diamonds. Liz Watson, our fabulous Victorian centre, will also join the team. Stephanie Wood will play in goal with Caitlin Thwaites, another great Victorian. Kim Ravaillion will join the team again. She has appeared in more than one Comm Games. And Madi Robinson, the champion from Melbourne, will, of course, be on the court with them.

There is no doubt in my mind that in terms of netball and women's commitment to netball—and women leading a sport, a women's game, if you like, in the past—it is a fabulous game, and there are some features of it that I think are really worth celebrating. When these girls take to the court, they take to the court representing hundreds of thousands of young girls who play netball every week. They also have created pathways for women into the hierarchies in sport, into administrative roles and into board roles. It really is a celebration. The Commonwealth Games is a great way for us to celebrate how far women have come in sport. It's a breakthrough moment, with 50 per cent of gold medals up for grabs available to women, and I will be at home on the couch cheering on the Diamonds. Go, Lisa Alexander! I know you'll have those girls expertly prepared, and I know they will give 100 per cent for their country and for their teammates.

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

I hope I can match that passion. I'm very grateful to speak today about the Commonwealth Games and the wonderful opportunity they present for people across the Commonwealth to come together and celebrate the best our sports men and women have to offer. This year's game will be held on the Gold Coast, which is pleasantly close to home for our team, who have been training tirelessly for years. We will be represented by 473 athletes across 275 events in 19 sports—an absolutely incredible array of talent, skill, determination and sportsmanship.

The Commonwealth games have a long and rich history, which, I'm proud to say, Australia has done particularly well in. The games started in 1930 and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, they have occurred every four years since. This year will be Australia's fifth occasion hosting the Commonwealth Games, but it is the first time the games will be held on the Gold Coast. Australia has an extraordinary record in the history of the Commonwealth Games. Indeed, we are one of only six nations to have attended every single games, and, unsurprisingly, given our reputation on the track and in the pool, we have the highest medal tally of any nation, which includes 852 gold medals.

The Commonwealth Games are particularly important to my electorate of Bennelong, which has produced a number of Commonwealth Games legends, including the late Betty Cuthbert AM MBE, who won gold in the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, and Karen Moras OAM, who won triple gold in swimming at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. We have every faith that our current team will live up to the reputation and achievements of these fine women.

I think it's also important for our parliament to acknowledge that, in addition to the 473 regular athletes attending, the team will also be joined by an honorary addition, 99-year-old swimmer George Corones. Mr Corones not only finished the long-course 50-metre freestyle trial in the 100 to 104 age bracket, which at his age is an incredible effort by itself; he also managed to knock 35 seconds off his previous best record. Mr Corones first started his Commonwealth Games career in 1938—the year Donald Budge won the Grand Slam in tennis—as a 19-year-old when he attended the third games, then titled the British Empire Games. He is an exemplary Commonwealth athlete and embodies so much of what the games are about.

In Bennelong we just recently awarded another round of Local Sporting Champions grants. This excellent program runs through the Australian Sports Commission grants fund to young sports men and women who are competing in state, national and international competitions, to aid in their personal and sporting development. The program has helped dozens of high-performing athletes to reach their potential. If it weren't for wonderful programs such as this, we would scarcely be doing as well in the Commonwealth Games as we now do.

As the opening ceremony date soon approaches, I would encourage all of us to consider how we can support our Commonwealth athlete stars and rally around them as much as possible. The skill required to perform at the standard of the Commonwealth Games requires years of dedication and sacrifice. The early morning rises, the thousands of dollars invested in sports dreams, the tears, the sweat and the heartbreak make this a truly wonderful competition to behold. Often years of preparation amount to only a few glorious minutes in the spotlight, but, irrespective of the outcome, I would like to congratulate our wonderful men and women in green and gold and have no doubt you will make us proud.

On the other hand, events in South Africa do not make us proud, in that all international sport has the Olympic tradition, which was commenced as a way of forging goodwill between countries. Our cricketers have conspired to cheat, thinking it would be all right if they didn't get caught. This is not a good thing at all. Furthermore, though, the real crime is against those who have preceded them, the great Australian sports men and women who have been Australia's best ambassadors and who have promoted goodwill and Australia in their efforts. Conspiring to cheat is not a good thing, but the damage that they have done to our international reputation will take a long while to mend.

Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome this motion from the member for Lindsay regarding the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. I'd like to note that I'm one of the few Queenslanders who have spoken today on this motion. I note that the member for Lindsay, herself from New South Wales, brought it forward. Also the member for Lalor spoke recently, and she tried valiantly to give me a scarf from the Australian netball team, the Diamonds, but as a hockey player I'm of course not allowed to wear anything associated with netball, so I'll leave it there for now. Also I acknowledge the comments of the member for Bennelong, also from New South Wales, and I'm from Western Australia.

We'll acknowledge that the Commonwealth Games are truly a national effort, but Queenslanders and those on the Gold Coast can be rightly proud of the event they're about to host, the challenges they're about to face and the fun they're about to have. There'll be 6,600 athletes and officials from around the world, around the Commonwealth—70 Commonwealth nations, in fact—playing 18 sports and seven para sports in over 275 events. It's a truly mammoth logistical challenge.

The Commonwealth Games have been to Australia five times before. Who can forget Matilda, the kangaroo in the Brisbane Commonwealth Games, with her big winking eye? Of course we don't remember Sydney in 1938, but the games have also been to Perth in 1962 and to Melbourne, more recently, in 2006. The mascot this year is Borobi the blue koala, so that's another gift from Queensland to the nation.

As I am from Western Australia, I will talk a little bit about hockey. WA hosts the Australian Institute of Sport's hockey program, so the women's and men's teams, the Hockeyroos and the Kookaburras, both train and do their camps and compete in Perth based competitions when they're not competing in international competitions. They got a fairly substantial farewell from the Governor, Her Excellency the Hon. Kerry Sanderson, and Premier the Hon. Mark McGowan last week. All 36 players from across those teams got to attend this lunch and have a great WA farewell. Everyone wishes them well in their upcoming competition.

The Hockeyroos have a great record at the Commonwealth Games. They have previously won three gold medals. I'm very excited about their prospects on the Gold Coast. Unfortunately, no Western Australian athlete made the final team, but there are Western Australians in the squad. I note their coach, Paul Gaudoin, who's a legend of Australian hockey, also from Perth, and an Olympian in 1996 and 2000, when the Kookaburras won bronze, will lead the Hockeyroos into what will no doubt be a very successful competition. I want to acknowledge Rachael Lynch, the goalkeeper for the Hockeyroos. She lives in Perth and supports and trains up-and-coming hockey players who have the courage to be the goalkeeper for their team. She's also an RU OK? ambassador, and I thank her for her commitment to the cause of mental health.

The Kookaburras, which is the men's hockey team, will be pursuing their sixth consecutive gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. We're very excited to see them playing in this competition. There are four Western Australians in the team: Jake Harvie, from Dardanup; Tyler Lovell, from Perth; Trent Mitton, also from Perth; and Aran Zalewski, from Margaret River, a beautiful part of the world producing great hockey players, as always.

I'd like to acknowledge the work of the Commonwealth Games WA team appeal committee chairman, Graham Moss, the great footballer. The committee has raised $180,000 to help WA athletes get to the Gold Coast, and again I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the WA state government, which has contributed $60,000 to the quite large expense of getting athletes from Western Australia over to the Gold Coast, and also to enable their training.

My home town of Rockingham was an Australian celebration community for the Queen's Baton Relay, which left Buckingham Palace with the Queen on 13 March 2017 and arrived at Penguin Island, the home of many fairy penguins and pelicans, on 23 February this year. The baton went across Shoalwater Bay and landed on Mersey Point and then travelled along the most beautiful coastline in the world, along Shoalwater Bay into old Rockingham, where the city of Rockingham welcomed all the baton bearers for the day in true Rockingham style. The baton bearers included 10-year-old Jordan Mears from Port Kennedy, a sufferer of cystic fibrosis who still managed to play her part in the relay; and Sharon Young, an advocate and fundraiser for Lifeline WA, who has raised over $100,000 for suicide prevention. I would also like to acknowledge Eileen Frith, a stalwart of the Rockingham community, a freeman of the City of Rockingham, who also participated in the baton relay and honoured the Commonwealth Games. Good luck to all participants. It's going to be a cracking event.

Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In a matter of days the nations of the Commonwealth will come together for the 21st Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. There is no doubt that sport is a great unifier. It unifies countries and it unifies communities, particularly country communities. Indeed, sport often helps define the identities of villages, towns and cities across country Australia, and some of our country's sporting rivalries are legendary. We saw the unifying effect of sport recently when the communities of the Central West again came together to participate in the Queen's Baton Relay. I'd like to pay tribute to those relay participants from the Calare electorate and acknowledge their important achievements and contributions to our communities.

Firstly, Harry Betts, from Ophir, is the youngest of Calare's baton bearers. This 17-year-old from Canobolas High is a stand-out basketballer, taking out the award for Orange District Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player Under 18 for the 2017 season.

Sister Mary Trainor, from Orange, has been a wonderful contributor to her community for many years. She worked as a chaplain at Bloomfield Hospital for over 20 years and is presently a member of the Bloomfield Hospital/Riverside Auxiliary.

Louise and Matthew Best, from Mudgee, have been dedicated organisers, supporters and volunteers within the equestrian organisations of our area for over 40 years, giving hundreds of hours of their time at branch, state and national levels.

John Collins from Orange has founded the Orange Bush Nippers, an organisation which teaches our country kids water safety. Three groups of Nippers from Orange have now attained their surf rescue certificates through the Orange Bush Nippers.

Tony Gorringe from Orange has been deaf since he was two, but this hasn't held him back at all. He's represented New South Wales and Australia at lawn bowls at the championship level, joining this with his sporting and civil advocacy for the deaf community at state and international levels.

Pearl Butcher from Orange has passionate community spirit, exhibited in the fact that she started the Colour City Dragon Boat Club, which now counts over 50 breast cancer survivors within its membership, and she often press-gangs me into competing in local regattas.

Les Hopkins from Blayney has shared his love of competitive swimming with his community. Since competing internationally for Australia in the 1970s, he's moved on to coach dozens of young swimming champions in the Blayney district over the subsequent years.

Carolyn Sheehan from Mudgee is a committed volunteer with the Lions club, with her parish and with the local cricket, netball and softball sporting clubs. She has received a lifetime award for cricket coaching and has been named assistant coach for the New South Wales country women's team for two years running.

Dr David Howe from Orange has contributed tremendously to the Orange community through his work in local health, particularly as a general practitioner, and he builds on this with his volunteering for Camp Quality.

Edwina Bone, a gold medallist for Australia as a Hockeyroo at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, moved on to an Olympic debut at Rio. She's a current member of Hockey Australia's 25-member senior women's squad for 2018.

Dr Anna Windsor is from Orange, and she is a dual Olympian swimmer. She represented Australia in the relay in Atlanta in 1996 and again at the individual medley at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. She led the Australian team to take out gold in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Tony Rodd from Orange is an intrinsic part of the Salvation Army's Red Shield Appeal, chairing its 2017 fundraising efforts.

Russell Tym from Orange is a prime mover in our local community and, as race director of the Great Volcanic Mountain Challenge, has galvanised citizens to race 11 gruelling kilometres to the top of Mount Canobolas. They are people of all ages. They come from stations near and far.

Toireasa Gallagher from Perthville is a multiple-medal-winning Paralympian and world champion cyclist. She's worked with the Rural Fire Service, has been president of the Perthville Public School P&C and continues to support competitive cycling in the Central West.

Jenni Buckley from Mudgee is an active member of the Mudgee community. Her community commitments saw her undertake a fun run of over 500 kilometres during a five-month period, raising $21,000 for Parkes Hospital.

Kathleen Keech from White Rock is active within the Anglican diocese of Bathurst and is a keen contributor to the Bathurst Netball Association. She's also a coach with the local Nova Pursuit netball team.

Des Crawford from Bathurst teaches at Denison College. He's played and coached rugby league over many years in Bathurst.

Ben Austin OAM from Wellington is a paraswimmer who has competed at three Commonwealth Games and has since retired from competition but gives his time selflessly, speaking to and inspiring children and adults from all over Australia.

As this House can see, all of the Queen's Baton Relay participants were very worthy, and we congratulate them on their achievements and their contributions to our local community.

Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the motion moved by the member for Lindsay and to show my support for the almost 7,000 athletes that will be competing in the Commonwealth Games beginning on the Gold Coast next week—in particular the Australian team of 710, including 473 athletes and 119 Queenslanders who will don the green and gold to do our country proud. A special mention goes to a former student of St John's Anglican College at Forest Lake, Trae Williams, who will be competing in the 100-metre sprint. Whether they be athletes, coaches or support staff, we know that each and every one of them has sacrificed so much and shown incredible commitment to their craft to be part of the Australian team. I congratulate each and every one of them.

I also pay tribute to the team's chef de mission, the legendary marathon runner Steve Moneghetti AM, who will be performing the role for the third time. Recently Steve announced:

One of the themes for the Australian Team for Gold Coast 2018 is Greater Together … It is embracing the importance of every role within the 710 strong Team.

Greater Together is about celebrating all those family, friends and loved ones who have been part of the journey to Gold Coast 2018.

It is about being proud that our team represents the millions of Australians cheering from the stands and watching our athletes strive for success on TV.

This will be Australia's 21st appearance at the Commonwealth Games and will mark the fifth time we've hosted the games, having done so previously in 1938, in Sydney; 1962, in Perth; 1982, in my home town of Brisbane; and, most recently, in 2006, in Melbourne.

But the road to hosting the games is not an easy one, and tonight I want to pay tribute to the Queensland state Labor government in 2008, under Premier Anna Bligh, that led the charge to secure the games against a competing bid from Sri Lanka. Indeed, it was on 22 August 2008 that the Premier officially launched the Gold Coast bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018, which set off a chain of events, including negotiations for the centrepiece of the games, Carrara Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies. This is the same stadium that the then LNP in Queensland rejected funding for, in the same Gold Coast city for which the then state LNP—which some members here in this Chamber belong to—rejected funding things like light rail. Members opposite shake their heads. They need to go back in time and realise that it was the LNP that opposed the $144 million upgrade to Carrara—opposed it every step of the way.

We know that since that time the state Labor government, under the leadership of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, and the minister appointed to the Commonwealth Games, Kate Jones, have championed the games' success. Writing in The Courier Mail, Minister Jones said:

The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will deliver a multi-billion boost for our state and support thousands of jobs. It is not just about 11 days of sporting action, it's an opportunity for businesses to capitalise on the biggest and best event in Gold Coast history.

Further to success on the field in the pool or the track, the Queensland economy also stands to be a big winner. The local tourism industry in particular stands to benefit the most from the more than 600,000 visitors who will spend more than $320 million in Queensland during the event.

With a broadcast audience of around 1.5 billion, this event will put Queensland on the map as a global powerhouse for major events.

On so many levels, the Commonwealth Games is a game changer for Queensland, and a golden opportunity for businesses to take centre stage and showcase all that Queensland has to offer.

I also want to tonight acknowledge the pivotal role that former Queensland Premier and games chairman Peter Beattie has played in promoting the games to Australia and the world. Peter has been at the forefront of the games to ensure the success of the games and Queensland's success as not only the sporting state but also the smart state when it comes to capitalising on all that the games have to offer.

Perhaps the most important level of congratulations and best wishes goes to the athletes themselves. Although there are 53 member of the Commonwealth, we will see 71 teams participate in the games, as a number of dependant territories compete under their own flags, such as Great Britain's England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland In our very own Australian team, there are 473 athletes, capped off by the selection of 99-year-old George Corones as an honorary 474th and final selection. I also acknowledge the 61 para-athletes who have been named in the Australian team. To the athletes competing: know that Australia stands shoulder to shoulder with you as you compete at the games, and that, whether you win, lose or draw, you've done your nation proud. We wish you all the very best of luck.

Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion as well. It's a very exciting time for Australia and for Queensland, as, starting next week, we host the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. Last week, on Harmony Day, I had the opportunity to pop out to Grace Lutheran Primary School, at Clontarf in my electorate. I presented an Australian flag and spoke about Harmony Day, and I spoke about the Commonwealth Games. Being Harmony Day, we spoke about the fact that Australia is the most successful multicultural country in the world; we have people from all over the world, including Commonwealth countries, who now call themselves Australians; and we are should be very, very proud of that. The school dressed in orange, as did Norris Road State School, which I also visited that day, to celebrate Harmony Day.

But Grace Lutheran Primary School in particular was also celebrating the fact that the Commonwealth Games were coming, and the different grade levels, from prep through to year 6, dressed to represent the different countries—the preppies came along dressed as Australia; the year 6s came along dressed as Canada—on different continents, of course, which make up the Commonwealth. There are some 53 countries in the Commonwealth, including Australia, and there will be over 70, with the territories also represented, at this year's Commonwealth Games. Members of the Commonwealth are, of course, from Europe, from Asia, from the South Pacific region, and they were all represented at Grace Lutheran College when I was there last week. I spoke about the fact that there are over 1.4 billion people in the Commonwealth. As Australians we're proudly part of those 1.4 billion people in the Commonwealth. There will be, as I said before, over 70 territories and 53 countries represented at the Commonwealth games. Some 6,600 athletes will be on the Gold Coast to compete. I was at the opening ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games; I remember that really well. My parents took me along; I was only ten years old at the time. It was quite an exciting time to go to the 1982 Commonwealth Games. I'm looking forward to seeing it on the Gold Coast. We have athletes in the Moreton Bay and Brisbane regions competing. Next week, the Queen's Baton relay will come through the main street of Redcliff and other parts of Moreton Bay. I congratulate everyone involved. Finally I'd like to wish all the athletes well. I look forward to watching them compete. And I know all of the Australian Parliament is behind them.

Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has now expired. The debate is adjourned and resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 18:27