Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

As a former sports minister, the co-captain of the parliamentary netball team and a sad netball tragic for way too many decades, it is with great pleasure that I stand to take note of the Australian Sports Commission's corporate plan, which followed on from Sport 2030, a sports plan for this nation to focus on participation, to focus on integrity, to focus on sport's role in international diplomacy and also to focus on sports ability and our elite athletes.

Last night, at about 3.30 am, the Australian Diamonds once again became world champions of netball. They've reclaimed all three pieces of silverware that have been missing from our trophy cabinet during the last four-year cycle: the Commonwealth Games gold medal—that was a very sweet victory; the Constellation Cup trophy; and now the Netball World Cup. It's a momentous victory, particularly as our own domestic competition here, as the elite competition in the world, has developed so many other players that we witnessed through the World Cup being held in South Africa over recent weeks. The Jamaican team, who have the bronze medal; the English team; the New Zealand team; our own Diamonds; Malawi—a whole raft of international teams are having their elite athletes progressed and developed by competing in our own domestic competition here in Australia. That's to take nothing away from the Australian Diamonds, their coaches and their support staff. All have worked so hard for them to regain the crown. Their captain, Lizzie Watson, is a very proud Vixen, I might say, and her leadership on the court was outstanding.

We are all incredibly proud of this squad of women, and I'm very proud that netball is uniquely placed when we talk about women's sport. It has the highest participation in sport in the country; 874,000 women and girls participate in netball across Australia, which makes it the biggest sport for women and girls. But it's not just women and girls; if you want to be an elite coach, netball is the pathway for you as a woman. If you want to administrate sport, it is administrated by women. It is unique among sporting offerings in the world and it offers women the opportunity to be community participants and volunteers, to be elite athletes and to be sports administrators and, indeed, coaches. I know we're all hoping the Matildas do great against Denmark tonight, of course, but we have a world championship team here in the Diamonds.

We know that netball allows specific and unique opportunities for girls and women to develop their skill sets in the sports industry more generally. I really want to thank all the volunteers who've gone to all the clubs around all the country towns and suburbs of our great country to make sure that that pathway for female athletes to stand up and be proud Australians and win the gold medal is there. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort with a lot of input from a lot of people. We're incredibly proud of you girls. We've been celebrating all day and we can't wait to see you get home and celebrate in person. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I give the call elsewhere, can I just remind you, Senator McKenzie, that even though there is some latitude at times of great pride in national teams, the wearing of a scarf such as that is perhaps not in order.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a most unusual topic for me to make a contribution on. I played netball for two seasons, and I broke my finger twice. It got in the way of school for me, so I thought I'd definitely give up netball and pay attention at school because that was a much happier place for me. I'm not a sportsperson, unlike Senator McKenzie, but the way in which sport lifts the spirit and the way in which female Australian athletes in the last little while have absolutely shown us how remarkable they are on the world stage is something to be truly, truly celebrated.

In this place where there is so much contest in ideas and sometimes there can be an impression of division, it is really important for me to stand and associate myself with the remarks of Senator McKenzie on this fine occasion. It's a celebration of not just skill in sport but of the personal endeavour of people to go out and develop their capacity, of their families who backed them to make that happen and of the community volunteers who were there setting up things on the weekends so that these amazing Australian women could get prepared for what became their international performance of which the entire country is proud. I thank the chamber very much for the opportunity to make a contribution to the acknowledgement of the Diamonds and their great success today. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.