Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sport is ingrained in our national identity. In Australia, it's part of our DNA, connecting communities, fostering camaraderie and promoting physical and mental wellbeing. From grassroots levels to elite competition, sport unites us, transcending boundaries of age, ethnicity and social status.

Within the electorate of Hughes, sport plays a pivotal role in shaping our local culture and strengthening our social fabric. I take this opportunity to speak about some of the wonderful sporting groups in my local community and also to speak about the need to improve our local infrastructure; to fund grassroot sports, starting with clubhouses and change rooms, to increase participation in local sports for girls and women and for those with disabilities.

I was privileged, last weekend, to launch the season of the Menai Roosters Junior Rugby League Football Club, a wonderful club with a sense of family, belonging and cohesion. I'll be proudly wearing my Menai Roosters puffer top this winter and watching as many games as possible.

Also there's Bosco Braves Baseball & Softball Club. I was delighted to present my local Commitment to Sports Award to Scott Ingwersen, groundskeeper and gear-manager at the club for more than 20 years.

I headed to the Bonnet Bay Baseball Club, which hosted the Little League majors baseball grand final day, where I was privileged to pitch the ceremonial pitch in the grand final between the Yarrawarrah Tigers and Eastern Suburbs Dolphins. And nobody was more surprised than me that it was a strike!

I mention, also, the Sutherland Shire Softball Association, my old association, and my club, Monkeys Softball. Congratulations to Clare O'Brien, who, as well as being the club's president and founder, recently received her 200 caps.

Now, here's a shout-out to all other recent winners of my local sports award: Aaron Poll from Heathcote Waratah Football Club; Joshua Hughes, Como Jannali Crocodiles rugby league; Joshua Fembock, Bardon Ridgebacks Football Club; John Liddicoat, Bundeena District Tennis Club; and Alice Viles of Heathcote-Engadine Hawks AFL.

Soccer is a major sport in our community. The Sutherland Shire Football Association has over 19,000 members, one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, and the association has just elected its first female president, Laura Cowell.

Our sporting clubs also serve as hubs of activity, bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds with a shared passion. Moreover, sport is not just about physical health; it's also a powerful tool for personal development and social integration. Through participation in sports, our younger Australians learn valuable lessons in teamwork, discipline and resilience, attributes that serve them well beyond the field or court for the rest of their lives.

Our local sports are held together by our volunteers: the parents out at 6.30 on cold winter mornings setting up soccer fields; the clubs committees meeting after work to ensure the necessary though often tiresome administrative work is done; the umpires and referees; and those who organise uniforms, fundraising, the barbecue and the canteen. The list goes on.

Our local clubs need funding assistance. Through round 8 of the Stronger Communities Program, I was very proud to deliver, among other things, a new basketball backboard for the Sutherland District Basketball Association, an upgrade to the women's bathroom facilities at Bosco Football Club, an upgrade to the basketball court at St Paul's Anglican Church in Menai, and socially inclusive facilities at Bonnet Bay Summer Sports Club.

Unfortunately, though, the coalition's commitment to local sport has not been matched by the Albanese Labor government. Since coming to power, it has cancelled the Stronger Communities Program. This is money—$150,000 for each electorate—that is now being taken away from community sports. If Illawong and Districts Senior Athletic Club in my electorate wanted a new bench shelter or St John Bosco Baseball and Softball Club wanted clubhouse and canteen upgrades, things that were available under the Stronger Communities Program and were delivered, they would not now be able to secure them under this Labor government.

Far more is needed in my local community for local sports. Many of our clubhouses are tired and not fit for purpose, with toilets that are not wheelchair accessible, showers without privacy, and inadequate storage space. All of these are detriments to increasing participation in local sport. I especially mention the home grounds of Loftus Yarrawarrah Rovers, Bosco Football Club, Akuna Avenue at Bangor, and Heathcote oval. We must do better. We must invest in these facilities. I am committed to fighting for better funding for these grounds and for others within the electorate to ensure local sport remains accessible, inclusive and thriving. I'm committed to fighting for local sport. I only wish this Labor government were similarly committed.