Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Hansard source

I appreciate the question from Senator Cameron. I also appreciate the prospect of an Australia-Scotland World Cup final. I inform the Senate that Australia’s bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup is progressing well. We are now only seven days away from the successful bid being announced in Zurich. Australia stands a very good chance of winning the bid. The Senate may be aware that FIFA recently released its evaluation report of World Cup bidding nations. The FIFA report confirms that Australia has the credentials to host the World Cup. This is something that the government has always known, of course, and that is why it is such a strong supporter of the FFA and their bid to bring the World Cup to our shores. We have an outstanding record of hosting major sporting events, such as the Sydney Olympic Games and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, and we would host a first-class World Cup if given the opportunity.

The evaluation report is a credit to the work of Frank Lowy, Ben Buckley and all at the FFA, and it shows that the bid is in with a good chance. Both men, who I have spoken to in the last couple of days, are quietly confident and hopeful, and I am sure that everyone in the Senate will wish them well in the bid. Of course, Australia faces some very stiff competition from countries such as the United States, Qatar, Korea and Japan, and I am sure that the ballot will be extremely close. The announcement on 2 December in Zurich, during which the Governor-General will represent the country and the government, is the culmination of years of hard work from the FFA and the government. Something like $45.6 million has been pledged to the FFA to support the bid. I note that, despite some of the comments from the other side, the bid has full bipartisan support across the parliament. In the other chamber, as we speak, the scarves are out. Every member of the House of Representatives is currently wearing them. (Time expired)