Grievance Debate

Female Facilities Program

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (15:11): I am a lifelong, enthusiastic participant in many sporting codes, sometimes at a high level but unfailingly with a complete lack of any great success, hence why I must refer to myself as participant rather than competitor. Despite that appalling lack of success, I fundamentally and deeply believe in the power of sport and local clubs to equally include and bring people together and look after people as part of a community family. That is why it is crucial that sport be an exemplar of inclusion and equity and why everyone who seeks to participate should be equally included and provided with the same facilities to be involved.

Girls and women here in SA are taking to traditionally male-dominated sport in droves. The Female Facilities Program was a proud $24 million Labor initiative dedicated to providing women with opportunities to equally and actively participate in the sport they love. This program had already provided funding to 41 clubs across SA, enabling them to upgrade or build facilities to make sure girls and women could have toilets, places to change—other than in car parks or bars—and places to gather before games. Numerous applications were received in every round and the $10 million round 4 alone would have meant at least another 20 clubs could build facilities that enable girls and women to have an appropriate place.

But this cruel Marshall Liberal government clawed that money back, leaving hardworking club volunteers devastated. Disgracefully, those opposite have now cut the $24 million dedicated female facilities fund altogether. In doing so, they have tried to dress up a $5 million per year general grants program, contingent on club and council funding and restricted to just three sports, as an investment in women's sport.

Women athletes, coaches and officials are not buying it. They know that backing women in sport means providing appropriate facilities. They know that South Australian girls and women deserve so much better and, together with their clubs, they will relentlessly campaign for the restoration of this dedicated fund. Cruelly cutting this $24 million program sends a message that this government does not care about women in sport, nor about equality. We will not stand for it.

Just yesterday, this government tried to pass off a $275,000 commitment to the Crows for women's footy as a big new announcement. It was awkward and dishonest because this money is merely a continuation of funds our Labor government provided. However, we also gave $275,000 to SANFL to develop women's football. Any actual increase in funding for women's sport is good news, but unfortunately this comes at a time when they have cut the dedicated $24 million females facilities fund, meaning their so-called announcement is worth just over 1 per cent of what they have cut.

It also comes at a time when they have cut the SA Women in Sport Taskforce, female participation grants, and money for clubs overall. It comes at a time when the Adelaide Lightning is desperate for funding to be able to continue. Having been at many Lightning games, I am resolute that we must support our WNBL team and the pathway it provides to girls following their basketball dreams.

South Australian girls and women deserve their $24 million dedicated female facilities fund and to have a basketball team in the national league. But in saying all this, I speak of a government that simply does not care about women or equality. This is a government with four women amongst its 25 lower house members.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left and right!

Ms HILDYARD: This is a government that has refused to speak up about the appalling treatment—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Primary Industries, the member for Morphett and the member for Waite are called to order.

Ms HILDYARD: —of Liberal Party women in Canberra, women who are leaving their party in droves. This is a government with no plan to ensure—

Mr Duluk interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Waite is warned.

Ms HILDYARD: —the equal representation of women in their ranks. Our party proudly knows that there are equal numbers of women and men of merit and that, if there is not equality in representation, you do something about it. Those opposite are lost in the wilderness on this issue with no strategy or will to achieve gender equality.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms HILDYARD: As disappointing as it is, it is utterly unsurprising, because we are talking about a party with a leader who remained silent when one of his ministers demanded I get him a coffee. Another minister questioned the merit of our deputy leader. This is a party with a leader who himself refers to our deputy opposition leader as having a nasty face. We on this side value the role of women in parliament, on the basketball court, in the CEO's chair, in the coach's box and wherever else they want to be. It is an indictment on South Australia that those opposite—

Time expired.