Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McKenzie for the question. On behalf of, I think, everybody in the chamber I congratulate the Australian Diamonds on their outstanding 10-goal win against England last night and wish them the very best for their future games in the World Cup. Last Friday I was honoured to join the Prime Minister and Minister Payne in Sydney for the opening ceremony of the 14th Netball World Cup. The Netball World Cup is held every four years and it is the premier event on the netball calendar. Sydney is this year playing host to the 16 nations playing in the tournament, which will conclude on Sunday. This is the second time this pinnacle event has been held in Sydney and the third time it has been held in Australia. It was held in Sydney in 1991 and, for the Western Australians here, we were privileged to hold the event in Perth in 1967.

The Australian Diamonds are the defending champions, having defeated the New Zealand Silver Ferns in 2011. This year's competition is truly global in nature with qualifying teams from Barbados, England, Fiji, Jamaica, Malawi, South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda—who appear for just the second time—Wales and Zambia. The opening ceremony on Friday night was a truly spectacular event and a celebration of all things netball. It was capped off with an outstanding win by the Australian Diamonds against Trinidad and Tobago. Our Australian Diamonds are exceptional examples of elite sportswomen in Australia. They show us what can be achieved through hard work and determination, and they certainly give girls the confidence to be successful in any arena they choose. (Time expired)