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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-07-06 Daily Xml
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Olympic Team

Ms COOK (Fisher) (14:38): My question is for the Minister for Recreation and Sport. Can the minister inform the house about the South Australian representatives on the Australian Olympic team?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is on two warnings.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (14:39): I would like to thank the member for Fisher—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: —for that very important question. I would like to start out by acknowledging—

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is called to order.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: —the hard work that she has put in to making sure that we have a world-class BMX track here in South Australia. She came to me last year—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: —and has been pushing for it, and I am very pleased—

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: I'm very pleased that our Treasurer has seen fit to deliver tomorrow a megabudget for sport in South Australia. It is going to be the biggest sport budget this state has ever seen. Included in that budget will be $2 million plus $750,000 from the Marion council and $750,000 from Onkaparinga council to build a world-class BMX facility, which is going to be terrific for people like Sam Willoughby from the Happy Valley BMX track who started out at the Happy Valley BMX Club and, of course, won silver at the Olympic Games in London. He has been selected in this year's Australian Olympic team alongside other South Australians.

There are 12 cyclists from South Australia in the team, making up almost half of the Australian team. I would like to congratulate brother and sister, Alex and Annette Edmondson, who are on the track, Jack Bobridge, Glenn O'Shea, Callum Scotson, Matthew Glaetzer, Stephanie Morton, Patrick Constable, Rohan Dennis who, of course, wore the yellow jersey in the Tour de France last year, Anthony Dean and a very special congratulations to the wonderful Anna Meares, lining up for her fourth Olympic Games and today announced as the flag-bearer and captain of the Australian Olympic team—a marvellous achievement for one of the finest people who has ever represented South Australia.

In athletics, we have Jess Trengove, who of course won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow two years ago, and Jared Tallent. He went across the line in second place in London and a few weeks ago was awarded that gold medal after the original winner was rubbed out because of a failed drug test—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Tanya Holliday is also in the walking competition. In badminton, we have Leanne Choo in the mixed doubles.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: In diving, we have Grant Nel. In shooting—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Can I just point out for the Hansard and for the record that the Liberal Party in this state are being totally disrespectful to the Australian Olympic team. I want that on the record.

The SPEAKER: The minister is called to order for responding to interjections and debating what should be a simple list.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate your protection.

The SPEAKER: I understand that the deputy leader's interjection may be offensive to him, but he should not respond to it in the way he did.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: It was all offensive to the Australian Olympians—every utterance over there. They should be sitting there and just cheering on our wonderful athletes. That's what they should be doing and, instead, they want to jeer and boo and hiss our wonderful athletes.

The SPEAKER: Point of order, deputy leader.

Ms CHAPMAN: Apart from defying your ruling, I am offended by the statement that has been made by the minister whom you have just pulled up in respect of that.

The SPEAKER: What were the words?

Ms CHAPMAN: I ask that he apologise and withdraw the—

The SPEAKER: What were the offensive—

Ms CHAPMAN: The allegation that members of the opposition were opposing the Olympic team. That was a disgrace and you pull it out.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Sir, if they were sitting there in silence I would have nothing at all to say about their performance. I would be talking about the performance of the athletes.

The SPEAKER: The minister will be seated. The opposition's heckling the minister and his answer to this question is not a sufficient substratum of fact for asserting that the opposition is disrespectful to the Australian Olympic team. I would ask the minister to return to the substance of the question.

Mr Marshall: Apologise and withdraw.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: I'm not going to apologise.

The SPEAKER: Minister, return to the substance of the question.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: In shooting, we have William Godward, Jack Rossiter, David Chapman; in swimming, we have Kyle Chalmers and Joshua Palmer; in tennis, Thanasi Kokkinakis, the only good guy in Australian tennis. He is doing a great job and sets a wonderful example and he could teach a few things to a few other people. In trampoline, we have Blake Gaudry. In volleyball, we have Louise Bawden—

Mr van Holst Pellekaan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Stuart is warned.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: —Taliqua Clancy, Nicole Laird and Mariafe Astracho Del Solar.

Ms Sanderson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Adelaide is called to order.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: And we've got a quarter of the Hockeyroos team. Georgie Parker and Karri McMahon are both from the Riverland and we honoured Karri McMahon at our community cabinet there where the Premier, two years ago, got up and acknowledged Karri's fantastic performance with the Hockeyroos and their world cup winning championship just a few months earlier. To Jane-Anne Claxton and Gabrielle Nance, who have also made that Hockeyroo team, congratulations. On behalf of the government, we wish the South Australian Olympic athletes all the very best in Rio.

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