Women in Sport

Ms COOK (Fisher) (14:49): My question is to the minister assisting the Minister for Recreation and Sport. Can the minister inform the house how the state government funding for the SANFL will promote girls and women in sport?

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Disabilities, Minister Assisting the Minister for Recreation and Sport) (14:49): I thank the member for her question, and I acknowledge the ongoing interest the member has in women's sport. We have seen an unprecedented number of girls' and women's Australian rules football teams kicking off over the past couple of seasons. The statistics from the last two years are incredible. The numbers in female junior and youth participation grew by 393 per cent. The numbers of female Auskick participants grew by 49 per cent, and senior club participants grew by 70 per cent.

Since the successful launch of the AFL Women's league, there has been an additional increase of 60 per cent in participation overall, with girls and women lining up on the field, no longer stopping at the boundary line. In 2017, the SANFL registered an additional 82 girls' teams, and this will continue to grow in 2018.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, sir: the time.

The SPEAKER: I hope that adjustment by the Clerk meets with the approval of the member for Unley. Minister.

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD: To support South Australian girls and women to pursue their dreams in a sport they love in communities across our state, our state government has invested $275,000 over the next two years. For too long, mums have cheered from the sidelines. Now their children can cheer for them. Women are now scoring goals, as well as volunteering and leading in sport in unprecedented ways. This funding will be used to recruit and train coaches, umpires and junior development officers. The funding will support clubs in every corner of South Australia—in the Adelaide metropolitan area, as well as across regional South Australia.

Our state government supports the SANFL to engage with members of our community and to provide access to organised sport. Since 2015-16, the SANFL has successfully received grants of $260,000 through the sport and recreation inclusion program, and the female inclusion and participation program provided a further $100,000. This latest investment will support the SANFL to manage and harness the surge in players and maintain this extraordinary interest in women's and girls' football.

New pathways are available to female players who can now join in at any level from Auskick through to the elite level. Enthusiastic girls and women can take to the field, talented athletes can be identified and developed, and fans will have access to more quality football games than ever before. I commend the SANFL for their ongoing commitment to promoting girls' and women's football, and I look forward to seeing more female players scoring goals and celebrating hard-fought victories.

The Office for Recreation and Sport is proudly working closely with SANFL and other sporting bodies to provide resources and to develop strategies that support women's participation in sport. Furthermore, our South Australian Women in Sport Taskforce is breaking down barriers and encouraging more girls and women to keep scoring goals. We are progressing change that makes a lasting difference—change that reduces inequality and supports girls and women to be treated more equally on the journey they take in their chosen sport.

Our task force plan sets out our strategies to improve gender equality in every aspect of sport, to change the face of sport leadership, to increase spectatorship of women's sport and to attract more women's sporting events to our state. Our task force is comprised of outstanding and passionate South Australians, and our plan is carefully underpinned by clear and measurable strategies to improve gender equality in sport.

Lastly, I remind the house about our government's commitment to make sure that girls and women can participate in the sport they love by investing millions of dollars for women's changerooms and other facilities. Organised sport provides an amazing opportunity for kids and community members from any background to be included and to have a sense of belonging and, as such, clubs must be exemplars of inclusion.