Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Whether it be gymnastics at the local PCYC, soccer at Churchill Park, hockey and athletics at St Leonards, footy in Launceston, netball at Hoblers Bridge, swimming at the aquatic centre or basketball at Elphin, across Northern Tasmania thousands of children and youth are involved in local sporting codes supported by dedicated clubs almost entirely run by volunteers. I've spoken frequently over the past 12 months on the challenges the region faces with ageing or unsuitable community infrastructure and the impact this is having on the ability of many sporting organisations to effectively grow and meet demand.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel for the Northern Tasmanian Netball Association, after securing some new indoor courts in the Northern Suburbs Recreation Hub—a key election commitment of mine in 2019. While this doesn't solve all the issues they face with court accessibility, it does provide a permanent home for some indoor games. The recent wild weather in Tasmania was also a reminder of how facilities are increasingly less fit for purpose, which is impacting grassroots sport, with hockey games in St Leonards called off a few weekends ago after the ground lights went out. With clubroom infrastructure also crumbling, I was proud to announce funding during last year's election, which, combined with a commitment from the Tasmanian Liberal state government, would have seen facilities appropriately upgraded. I once again call on the federal government to find a way to support this commitment.

Tonight, however, I want to specifically focus on the needs of the local basketball community. Late last year, I sat down in a meeting with representatives from the Launceston Basketball Association to discuss the challenges they are facing as a sporting organisation. Since basketball first began in Tasmania, through the YMCA in the 1930s, the sport has been consistently popular, particularly in the north and north-west of the state, and over the past 10 years it has experienced significant growth. For a small region, we have produced some fantastic basketball players, including two-time NBL champion and member of the Australian Boomers 2012 Olympic team Adam Gibson, NBL champions Mark Nash and Lucas Walker and, of course, Hollie Grima, who won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games as part of the Australian Opals team.

Locally we're home to the women's basketball club the Launceston Tornadoes, which was formed in 1993 and now competes in the NBL1 league, and just a few years ago the Tasmania JackJumpers became the NBL's 10th club in the league. In just their first year, the team finished the regular season in fourth place and advanced all the way to the grand final against the Sydney Kings, who were the ultimate winners that year. What a fantastic start to this team, which has been proudly and passionately embraced by Tasmanians. Undoubtedly the launch of the JackJumpers has contributed to the popularity of the sport, which, of course, is a good thing. However, it's put additional pressure on the Launceston Basketball Association to find additional court space to meet the growing demand. In just the past year, membership has increased over 30 per cent, with the LBA now representing more than 3,000 players from almost 400 teams. They're incredible statistics from a region like Northern Tasmania.

Craig Gibson, president of the LBA, said that the lack of court space is leaving the association with no choice but to schedule more games late at night or to increasingly schedule byes. Earlier this year he said:

We've got a 20-week season coming up through winter, but every team will play a maximum of 15 games and then we've had to fabricate byes and put on really late games to be able to achieve that.

Craig also told me that, without additional courts, clubs will soon be looking to introduce a cap on the number of teams within each club, leaving any new members unable to play in Launceston. I know from talking to local parents that some of their children aren't finishing games until after 10 pm, which is just not feasible in the long term, and LBA general manager Mitch Duhig has stated that association players are complaining about the extra bye and late games. 'The complaints have been getting louder and louder,' he said.

In December last year, I joined the association as they launched a petition calling for all three levels of government, including the federal government, to invest in the significant infrastructure needed while also investing in the upgrades of the current facilities. On behalf of the principal petitioner, LBA general manager Mitch Duhig, and the 620 players, coaches, volunteers and supporters of basketball in Launceston who signed the petition, I would like to table this petition, which has been considered by the Petitions Committee and found to be in order. I will keep advocating for our community to receive the funding necessary to keep our grassroots sports clubs thriving.

The petition read as follows

The Launceston Basketball Association represents more than 3,000 players from 396 teams and has seen an increase in membership of over 30% from 2021 to 2022.

The lack of available court space in our region is leaving the Association and clubs with no choice but to schedule more games late at night or increasingly scheduling byes. The sport is growing in popularity, however with court space already at capacity, clubs will soon be looking to introduce a cap on the number of teams within each club leaving any new members unable to play in Launceston.

To meet both current and future demand, an investment in significant infrastructure is needed. We call on all levels of government to further identify possibilities for an additional six courts while investing in the upgrades of the current facilities at Elphin Sports Centre.

from 614 citizens (Petition No. PN0565)

Petition received.