Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to acknowledge the increased participation of women in sport, both in my electorate of Menzies and generally throughout the community. I was pleased last week to be able to visit the Veneto Club in Bulleen, where new female change rooms have been constructed with a Stronger Communities grant, and then to go to Quambee Reserve in Ringwood North, where there are plans to restructure, rebuild and refurbish the change rooms for female participants. The Veneto Club is a famous Italian club in Bulleen started some 40 years ago by Dave Barro and other early immigrants from that region of northern Italy. It is World Cup time, and the club has produced some wonderful soccer players, not the least of which is Marco Bresciano, who started playing soccer at Marcellin College over the road and, of course, for the Veneto Club.

This significant participation is a great thing. In Melbourne, through AFL, through the leadership of people like Susan Alberti, a great friend of mine, we've seen increased female participation. But we've got a nice problem now, and that is that we need more change rooms and a refurbishment of the old change rooms. It's a great problem to have, because participation in sport is good not just for physical activity but also for mental awareness, and it's great to see so many young women participating in sport. Through the Stronger Communities grants to places like the Veneto Club and Quambee Reserve, we can help to encourage that.