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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-04-13 Daily Xml
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Australian Swimming Championships

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (14:13): My question is to the Minister for Recreation and Sport. Could the minister update the house on the performance of the South Australian Sports Institute swimmers during the 2016 Hancock Prospecting Australia Swimming Championships currently being held at the aquatics centre Marion?

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) (14:13): I thank the member for Elder for the question and acknowledge that this wonderful facility, built by this government and opened five years ago, is in the member for Elder's electorate. Since we opened that wonderful centre, for the past two years we have had the Australian Swimming Championships there. Just as they doubled as the Olympic swimming trials in 2012 before London, this year they are also the Olympic swimming trials for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. It has been a terrific addition to our fantastic sporting facilities in South Australia.

As well as bringing in 500 swimmers, athletes, coaches and support staff, it has also brought in many other tourists. It will bring $3½ million into the economy. The event started last Thursday. It will finish up tomorrow night. Tonight, the Paralympic team will be named; tomorrow night, the Australian Olympic team will be named, and it's terrific to have the spotlight of our nation on Adelaide for this wonderful event.

With the Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Championships, I want to mention a few SASI athletes who have done particularly well. Of course, Kyle Chalmers, a 17 year old from Immanuel College, won the silver medal on Monday night in the 100-metre freestyle in a personal best time, and he has met the selection time for individual Olympic Games selection. So, we all congratulate Kyle—he is of course the son of Brett Chalmers, former Port Adelaide and Crows AFL player—and wish him all the very best in Rio.

Other SASI athletes who received medals were Ethan Owens, who won silver in the 800-metre freestyle, which was a non-Olympic event, as well as Joshua Palmer, who has won gold in the 50-metre backstroke—a non-Olympic event—and silver in the 100-metre breaststroke. While Joshua did not meet the Olympic qualifying time, I am sure all will agree he put in an amazing effort in front of his home crowd.

A number of SASI athletes have also been finalists. Sally Hunter finished fourth in the 100-metre and 200-metre breaststroke. Abby Duncan finished fourth in the 50-metre butterfly. Liam Bekric was fifth in the 50-metre breaststroke (multi-class). James McKechnie was sixth in the 50-metre breaststroke, and Jesse Aungles finished sixth in the 100-metre butterfly (multi-class) and eighth in the 400-metre freestyle (multi-class).

I would also like to thank the former member for Balmain and, of course, greatest Olympian we have ever had, who was voted in 1998 Australia's best ever woman athlete: Dawn Fraser. I want to thank you for the inspiration that you are providing to another generation of swimmers down there. I know that each and every one of them appreciates having you poolside and spurring them on to even greater heights. I am sure you will be wishing them all the very best in Rio as well.

It's worth pointing out a bit of a trivia question. If you ever want to win a bet on who South Australia's most successful Olympian is, it's actually Dawn Fraser, because, in 1956 and 1960, Dawn was registered as a South Australian athlete because she was here with Mr Gallagher, who was at the City Baths at 'Bastard's pool'. I am not using bad language here. Charles Bastard was the owner of the pool, so everyone called it 'Bastard's pool'.

For that reason, Dawn Fraser, who has always been known for her ties to Balmain, was actually a South Australian athlete. She, of course, won four gold medals and four silver medals at the Olympics. For those two gold medals in Melbourne in 1956 and the gold medal that you won in Rome in 1960, you were registered as a South Australian athlete. No other athlete has ever won three gold medals, so it's nice to have you in parliament today so that we can acknowledge that great feat and thank you for the support you are providing to another generation.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The SPEAKER: I warn for the first time the members for Davenport and Chaffey. The deputy leader.

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