Chris Crewther (Dunkley, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With the growing number of girls and women participating in sport across Australia, and especially in Dunkley, and an increased focus on health and activity levels throughout the community, one of my major focuses has been ensuring that the facilities, support and services we need are available. Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the Langwarrin Football and Netball Club at Lloyd Park in Langwarrin. Langwarrin FNC is a growing club, and many teams are experiencing success this season in their finals campaigns, both at the junior and senior levels.

I was delighted to recently open the new women's change room at Lloyd Park, specially designed to cater for female umpires as well as players, towards which the federal coalition government contributed $10,500, which I secured in partnership with the Frankston City Council. This much-needed upgrade, which includes a portable change room and associated utilities to accommodate female players and officials, will assist the club to keep growing its membership base and supporting women in sport. The project will improve the viability of the Langwarrin Football and Netball Club and will provide opportunities to grow the club's membership even further, making it an attractive destination for young girls and women in our community. This project is on top of another project at the same place, where we put in $15,000 towards a new scoreboard.

I've also had a number of conversations with some of the female umpires as well as the young players who came along to our announcement the other day. They agreed that, had they had the facilities, community support and infrastructure in place a long time ago, it would have enabled them to participate more in football—to start playing to begin with and then to keep playing. In the past, our society didn't provide sportswomen with the same opportunities in football, but we are making sure that this up-and-coming generation have better opportunities to do what they love.

The reception we received from the girls playing football, who were training there when we came down, was fantastic. Their enthusiasm for the sport and their drive for success was infectious. I'm very proud to be delivering the infrastructure that they need and have a consistent record of doing so, along with my friend and colleague the Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government, the Hon. John McVeigh. We have some amazing sports men and women in Dunkley, and I am committed to working with our sports clubs, whether they be Langwarrin Football and Netball Club or other clubs across the community, to provide the best possible chances and facilities for this new generation of champions. We are committed to supporting healthy communities across Australia, including in my electorate Dunkley. It's great seeing such a push across the community, with people getting out and exercising and pursuing their passions.