Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

'Hear, hear,' says Senator McKenzie, as a sports lover herself. We must remember the Commonwealth Games is a very special institution. It brings together the countries of the Commonwealth, who have that special bond through their common heritage. The second highlight was that Malawi beat New Zealand in netball at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast—the first time ever that Malawi beat New Zealand in netball. Thirdly, Bermuda got its first ever gold medal for a female athlete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. So, whilst the event is over, Senator Brown, it lives on in our memories and in the memories of all those who attended, which is one of the reasons why these sporting events are absolutely crucial and why the parliament need to do all we can to ensure that the revenue streams from these sporting events are protected.

One of the key reasons for doing that is to ensure that the athletes are fully compensated and rewarded for their efforts. From my perspective, it comes back to the athletes and ensuring that the athletes are fully compensated and rewarded for their efforts. Ambush marketing, where commercial players who have not paid the piper—they haven't paid legitimately to take advantage of the event—seek to ride on the coat-tails of others, undermines that effort to make sure that the athletes in particular are fully rewarded for their efforts and the sacrifices they've made.

The two events which are covered by this legislation are, firstly, the ICC T20 World Cup, which is to be held in 2022. I wasn't a huge fan of the T20 when it started, but I've become a fan. Maybe we should have a 'T20 debate' in the Senate—a 10-minute debate instead of, at times, a 10-hour debate; that would be the Senate equivalent of T20. I love my test cricket, but I think there's a place for the T20, and I've become a fan of T20. So it's wonderful that we're getting the ICC T20 World Cup in our country.

The second event is the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, and what a great event that's going to be. I'm sure all the senators in the chamber today will take advantage and attend the event if they can. They'll have an opportunity to attend the event in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth, and it's also going to be held in New Zealand. That's a wonderful event as well. The reason I'm so passionate about this bill is that it makes sure that the revenue streams generated by these great sporting events are maximised in favour of the athletes. With that, I commend the bill to the chamber.