John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I would like to update the Senate on the work of the LBW Trust and an exciting fundraising initiative for the trust called Batting for Change. I have spoken before in the Senate about the work of the LBW Trust. In this case, LBW stands not for 'leg before wicket' but for 'Learning for a Better World'. The trust is a Sydney based charity supported by cricketers and cricket lovers who believe in the power of education in positively transforming the lives of young people in cricket-playing nations.

Batting for Change is a new fundraising campaign that was led by Sydney Thunder wicketkeeper Ryan Carters throughout the 2013-14 Big Bash League season. He did that in partnership with the LBW Trust and the Sydney Thunder. Batting for Change asked fans and players to pledge any amount of money they wished to be donated every time a six was hit by a Sydney Thunder player in the 2020 Big Bash League. The initiative was a great success, with over $ 30,000 raised during the 2013-14 BBL season. These funds were donated directly to the construction of three classrooms for the Heartland School, a senior school campus in Bafal, Nepal. I am happy to report that the Batting for Change initiative will continue to be a fixture with the Big Bash League this season, and Ryan Carters has set an ambitious goal of doubling last year's target to over $60,000.

I would like in the Senate chamber tonight to thank Ryan Carters for his initiative. He is a fine young man, an accomplished student and, of course, a hugely talented young cricketer. Ryan was recently made an LBW Trust ambassador, joining in that role dual international Ellyse Perry and former Wallaby and writer Peter FitzSimons. Ryan tells me he is hoping to visit Nepal soon to see firsthand the development of the school and to meet with some of the students there who will benefit so much from these new facilities. I think it is important in the Senate tonight to place on record sincere thanks to Ryan for this initiative and also to all those who have supported him and this cause. As I have done before, I also want to thank and acknowledge the LBW Trust for its ongoing work in supporting educational opportunities for young men and women in cricket-playing developing nations around the world.