Women's Sport

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (15:25): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the minister representing the Minister for Recreation and Sport regarding supporting women in sport.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: Less than a fortnight ago the first ever AFL women's league launched in Australia. Here at Thebarton Oval the Adelaide Crows women's team launched their campaign by beating the GWS Giants by 36 points. The Adelaide Crows women's team currently sit at the top of the table after the first two rounds.

Given the extraordinary success of the women's AFL thus far, a recent step backwards regarding women in sport in South Australia is quite puzzling. My office has learned that the Wendy Ey scholarship grant has recently been discontinued by the Office of Recreation and Sport. It previously asked aspiring female coaches and officials wanting to further develop their skills and abilities to apply for an annual grant of up to $2,500 towards their professional development in their role in sport. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why has the minister discontinued the Wendy Ey Memorial Scholarship Program?

2. Does the minister acknowledge that women continue to be under-represented as coaches and officials at all levels of sport and recreation in South Australia?

3. What specific programs and scholarships does the minister have in place to specifically address this imbalance and promote the inclusion and involvement of women in sport?

4. Are there any specific requirements or targets that clubs across all levels of sport in South Australia must meet in terms of gender balance before being eligible for Office of Recreation and Sport grants?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:27): I thank the Hon. Kelly Vincent for a really important question on women's sports issues. Of course, she has directed it to the right minister, the Minister for Recreation and Sport, the Hon. Leon Bignell, in the other place, who absolutely has been a champion for female sport in this state. He has driven reforms in this area to which no other minister has even come close—Labor or Liberal. His absolute commitment to raising the profile of women's sports is unparalleled.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Will the honourable Leader of the Government pull himself into line and allow the minister to finish his question?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: He is recognised right across the nation as a leading reforming sports minister in this area.

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: He flies around the world every week!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: And he is a fantastic ambassador for this state. This is a man who does not stop in terms of promoting South Australia interstate and overseas, attracting international air service carriers into South Australia, bringing tourists and increasing our share of overseas international students into South Australia.

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: And, at the same time—my leader again is trying to lead me astray into some tangential issues about how he defeated a lame duck Liberal member in the seat of Mawson, took him on and cleared him out of that seat. This is a man who will hold onto the seat of Mawson for a long time into the future.

The Hon. P. Malinauskas: He's a good local member.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: He's a fantastic local member, he's a strong campaigner for women in sport. He championed this government's commitment to putting money into supplying female changing rooms for sporting—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Well, the Hon. Mr John Dawkins laughs, but sporting communities came to us and said, 'This is a big lack in our area. We need changing rooms for women in sports,' and the Hon. Leon Bignell led the charge to get that funding. The Hon. John Dawkins can laugh at it, but Leon Bignell delivered. He delivered for women in sport, he delivers for his community and he will continue to do so.

We only have to recall what he did on the Tour Down Under by getting rid of that old archaic practice of having young women come up and kiss—

The Hon. G.E. Gago interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: The jersey girls, I am reminded by the Hon. Gail Gago—kiss the winners of that leg on the cheek. He changed that by getting young up and coming sports people, young players, to present the jersey, and that was a fantastic outcome. That was led by Leon Bignell, the member for Mawson—Leon Bignell, the member for Mawson, who killed Robert Brokenshire in that seat when he was a lame duck Liberal minister looking for re-election; Leon Bignell, who stands up for women in sport and will continue to do so. I will take those very important questions the Hon. Kelly Vincent asked me to direct to him, and I will attempt to get a response and bring it back for her.