Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I talk today of an individual from Ipswich excelling in her endeavours and an organisation from the Somerset region making a difference. Iconic sporting individuals such as Allan Langer, Kevin Walters, Craig McDermott and Shane Watson all hail from the Ipswich region, and so does Ash Barty. It would be remiss of me if I didn't take this opportunity to highlight the achievements of Ipswich local Ash Barty, who recently won the French Open and rose to the top of world tennis rankings. With this victory, she became the first Australian to win the French Open since Margaret Court in 1973 and the second Australian to hold the women's world No. 1 ranking after Evonne Goolagong-Cawley. Ash has made Ipswich residents very proud with her success, and the humility she displays is a true example of a great role model for young girls and young boys who want to take up the game of tennis.

Unfortunately, a major hurdle for young athletes progressing in their sporting journeys is the cost associated with competing at state and national championships, and families are often forced to make difficult choices between children participating in sporting trips critical to their development and household expenses. This was recognised by the Rudd Labor government, and a grants program for young athletes in 2008, known as the Local Sporting Champions grant, was subsequently introduced. Individuals between 12 years and 18 years can get assistance of up to $750. This Labor initiative has assisted many, and I congratulate the government for continuing this particular grants program. I encourage all eligible young athletes in Blair to apply for this grant. You never know: we might see the next Ash Barty come from Ipswich.

An organisation making such a huge difference in the Somerset region is the Somerset Art Society. Last Friday night, at the Somerset Civic Centre in Esk, I was privileged to open the Somerset Bendigo Bank Art Awards. There were 337 entrants in the categories of photography, textiles, painting and sculpture. This is a record number, and I want to congratulate all the sponsors and individuals. There were 50 volunteers, and, to make this happen, they worked for eight months. I particularly want to congratulate the president, Betty Williams; the vice president, Ron Orr; the secretary, Kim Thompson; the treasurer, Nelle Smith; the awards convener, Jan Godfrey; and the art awards curator, LeAnne Vincent, who tells me she recorded 55,000 steps on her Fitbit on the day that they finally hung all the categories. I want to congratulate Bendigo Bank for their continued sponsorship. I'm proud to be a sponsor of the Somerset Art Society, particularly this exhibition. I thank the many community organisations, including the Somerset Regional Council, who got behind this particular exhibition.