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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-12-04 Daily Xml
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Sport Participation

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (16:01): I rise today to highlight the importance of sport and, in particular, junior sport to our communities and to society generally. Without doubt, sport teaches us many and varied lessons for life, especially in team sports. We may learn about the principles of discipline, decision-making and dedication, fitness, friendship and focus, reliability, resourcefulness and responsibility, camaraderie, cooperation and compromise.

Through participation in club and school sport from an early age, we can develop skills in leadership and hone many other talents that will stand us in good stead for the future. Sport also plays a big role in ensuring that our young people in particular are able to participate in positive, productive pastimes while forming friendships at the same time.

As our general population ages, and the impost on our health budget continues to grow as we live longer, sport plays a vital part in keeping our communities healthy. Prevention is always better than cure and, in an age in which Australians are becoming less active, we need to all be aware of ways we can combat increasingly sedentary lifestyles. Our sporting clubs help to buck the trend on inactivity as they bring together people of all backgrounds and ages, abilities and fitness levels.

A love of sport also unites many Australians and many people around the world and provides a broader sense of community, something we have seldom seen so strongly as in the wake of the tragic death of cricketer Phillip Hughes. The outpouring of grief and the flow of tributes around the country and from across the world has been deeply moving and almost unprecedented. There has been an overwhelming oneness of spirit when it comes to recognising and remembering the life of this talented young man.

It brought together people from all walks of life, young and old, at the Adelaide Oval yesterday, where Phillip Hughes played with the Redbacks and the Adelaide Strikers. It brought them together to be part of the celebration of his life via a big screen as he was farewelled in his home town of Macksville. Junior cricketers around Australia retired last weekend with their score on 63, the same tally Phillip Hughes was on when he was accidentally struck by a ball which ultimately took his life. The usual mandatory junior cricket retirement tally was increased from the standard 50 runs in tribute.

There is also a story going around of one junior cricketer making 37 before walking off the pitch to retire. When asked why he did so, the young boy reportedly said, 'I finished his hundred for him.' Despite the sadness the sporting world has faced in past days—and we also think of the loved ones of the Israeli cricket umpire killed when he was hit by a ball just two days after Phil Hughes—the game will go on and the great benefits of sport will continue.

I am proud to be part of a government that understands and acknowledges the importance of sport in so many ways, including the Premier's Be Active challenge for our schoolchildren. The challenge is to do at least 60 minutes of physical activity on at least five days of the week for at least four weeks. I am really pleased that one of the schools in my electorate of Torrens, Hillcrest Primary School, will receive an award at the challenge's official ceremony tomorrow as a high achieving school. Congratulations to everyone involved at Hillcrest Primary School and at the other schools who have taken part in this initiative.

Sport not only provides benefits for highly talented or elite athletes in the making, but there are also development opportunities for people willing to be involved with coaching, umpiring or other volunteer roles. Today is an opportune time to mention the immense contribution of our volunteers to sporting clubs and, indeed, to the arts, community services, education, emergency services, recreation, health, tourism and the environment, among other areas. The reason is that tomorrow is International Volunteer Day, which was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. The day gives volunteer groups and individuals the opportunity to raise awareness of their contributions to the economic and social development of their society.

It can be of great value in giving people skills for the workplace, it can be a stepping stone to a career change, or it give help with the all-important transition to retirement. While most volunteers receive no public recognition or awards, the time and talents they volunteer are essential to our society's basic fabric.

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