Wednesday, 14 August 2024

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:47): (1051) My adjournment matter is for the minister for sport. I, like many Australians, have spent the last few weeks captivated by the Paris Olympics, in awe of these great feats of human physicality. These Olympics were Australia’s most successful ever. Our female athletes accounted for over half of the 53 medals. Ten of those medals were won by Victorian women. I want to take a moment to shout out to some of the female athletes who I particularly enjoyed cheering along from home: Arisa Trew, the 14-year-old skateboarder who became the youngest ever Australian to claim gold at the games; Jess and Noémie Fox, the sisters who canoed their way to the top every time they got out on the water; Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson, who claimed silver and bronze in the women’s high jump; Saya Sakakibara, who we all watched bounce back from an injury to claim gold in the BMX racing; the entire women’s swimming team, who dominate the field at every Olympics; our Matildas, who always do us proud no matter the result; and, although she is not Australian, Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who claimed gold while showing so much strength and grace in the face of unfounded online hate. These women and many more who competed at the games are a beacon of inspiration for young women, and old, all around Australia.

World-class athletes like our Olympians need world-class facilities to train and learn in. In my region the women’s centre of excellence at Casey Fields is an elite level sporting facility currently in development. It will be the only rectangular venue capable of hosting elite-level training and competition outside of the Melbourne CBD. $43.29 million has already been invested by the City of Casey and the Melbourne City Football Club to develop the Casey Fields precinct, but further funding is required to complete the women’s centre. I ask: will the minister commit funding to this new women’s sporting complex so our female athletes have the best opportunity possible to reach their potential and go for gold?