House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-09-08 Daily Xml

Contents

Commonwealth Games

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. B.I. Boyer (resumed on motion).

Ms HUTCHESSON (Waite) (15:34): We were also well represented in swimming, with six SASI-based swimmers bringing home 11 medals between them. How can I go past the incredible results of Jessica Stenson, winning gold in the marathon after two previous bronze medals and having a baby only a few years before. What an achievement and a role model for all women to never give up on their dreams. She is the first female athlete from any country to win three medals in Commonwealth Games marathons.

South Australia has always been well represented in cycling at both the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. My cousin was on a trajectory to represent Australia in cycling, too, when he was young, so I know how much work goes into pursuing this sport. Our cycling team, with its national training centre based here in SA, achieved 13 medals, including three being from para-track cyclists. Congratulations to all athletes. Not everyone brings home a medal, but everyone brings home the experience, the knowledge that they have represented their country and a sense of pride in doing so.

The Commonwealth Games brings together commonwealth nations. It encourages friendship, fair play and camaraderie. It is also inclusive, having all athletes competing at the same time. The inclusion of athletes with a disability promotes opportunities in sport for people of all abilities. Of the four selected South Australian para-athletes, two, Chris Flavel and Beau Wootton, won medals. Elite athletes with a disability were first included in 1994, starting with the sports of athletics and lawn bowls. It is great to see that South Australia is still leading the way in these sports.

Our government is committed to supporting sportspeople of all abilities and skills. We are focusing on growing participation in sport and recreation of women and girls and people from diverse multicultural communities. We want to ensure that clubs and groups have access to the facilities and equipment they need so that everyone has an opportunity to pursue the sport they are passionate about.

Whilst there were no athletes from my electorate who attended the Games this time, I know there are many up-and-coming sports stars of the future who are working hard to get there in 2026. I wish all of them well in their preparations. Again, I would like to congratulate all athletes who competed at the Games and let them know we are incredibly proud of them.

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (15:37): I rise to support this motion. I think it is always so important that we acknowledge the dedication and the passion of all athletes, not only in our communities but right across South Australia.

In particular, putting on the green and gold uniform is something quite remarkable, and I would like to pay tribute to the 55 South Australian athletes who represented the nation at the recent Commonwealth Games. It truly is remarkable. The preparation is intense. I say that as one of the most established athletes has just walked into the chamber, in the member for Colton. I would like to acknowledge all the work he has done in the sporting space.

I would like to particularly acknowledge local legend Jess Trengove, or now Jess Stenson. One of the most humbling experiences I have ever had in my sporting career involved Jess. It was when I was at the Institute of Sport playing netball and I was thinking I was pretty fit at the time. I had rocked up to my preseason training at the uni loop in Adelaide, and we had done a few laps when Jess Trengove arrived.

I knew Jess because she was involved in the physio business that was looking after us at that time. Jess said to me, 'Ash, would you like to just do a bit of a lap? We will do a one-kilometre time trial or something.' I said, 'Yes, sure, of course. I would love to.' Of course, being the competitive person that I am, I took her up on this challenge. As we were ripping up dirt around the uni loop, I was looking down at my watch thinking that we were making pretty good time and that I was on track to reach a personal best. We got to the finish line and, of course, Jess finished just in front of me, and I said, 'That was a good race, Jess,' and I walked off to the rest of my team. I looked over my shoulder and I realised that, for her, it was just a warm-up, so that puts into context what a fierce athlete Jess is.

I believe that she is a true role model for all people who participate in sport, but particularly women. The fact that she has participated in the Commonwealth Games before and that this is her first gold medal after the birth of her son, I think is something that is truly remarkable and really does shine a light on just what a fantastic athlete she is.

Sarah Clough is another fantastic athlete I had the great privilege of playing with. Sarah Clough is an enormous netballer. She is a defender I played with in the state league competition. When I first started playing with Sarah she was young and up and coming—a few years younger than I—and she was always a really quiet, shy, timid goalkeeper. I was thinking that she would do a good job playing in state league, and so were we all.

She was a fierce competitor in training. In one of her first state league games, I remember commenting to my coach at the time, 'Sarah has really come into her own.' She rejected one of the leading goal scorers in the state league competition, and from there she really did go on to really bright things. I think that to recognise those two athletes in particular is a great source of pride for me, and to have been associated in just a very small way and in their very orbit as an athlete was truly enjoyable from my sense.

I would like to again offer my congratulations to the 55 South Australian athletes. I acknowledge their dedication in not just the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games but also the journey that starts all the way back from birth and participation in grassroots sport. That is why I believe that investing in grassroots sport is so amazing because it really does generate and inspire all our future Olympians and all our future stars who are participating in the Commonwealth Games. Thank you very much, minister, for this motion. I am very pleased to support it.

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (15:41): I rise to support the minister's motion and bring to the attention of the house the achievements of three residents in my electorate who competed at the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Between them, they brought home four gold and three silver medals from their participation in swimming and cricket.

Australia sent a team of 430 athletes, including 199 men and 231 women to compete in 21 sports, including parasports, and won 178 medals. I was pleased to see the team led by four champion women: chef de mission, Petria Thomas, and general managers, Anna Meares, Sharelle McMahon and Katrina Webb, plus two female flag bearers, Rachael Grinham and Melissa Wu.

It is my pleasure to acknowledge and congratulate the 55 South Australian athletes who competed at the Games on their achievements, dedication, commitment and hard work in representing their country on the world stage. From Gibson, Tahlia McGrath (T-Mac) is the senior athlete at 26 and has been playing cricket at the highest level for Australia since November 2016 and for South Australia since 2011.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, this South Aussie all-rounder also batted fourth in the order and is also a right-arm medium bowler and played in all the women's T20 matches. Tahlia scored a total of 128 runs, including 19 fours and one six from four matches. As a bowler, her medium pacers claimed eight wickets in 14 overs for 97 runs.

Tahlia and her team claimed gold in the final, defeating India by nine runs. I wish Tahlia all the best with her future matches with Australia, South Australia and the Adelaide Strikers, plus the Southern Brave at Hampshire in the United Kingdom, where she plays with fellow South Aussie Amanda-Jade Wellington and Tasmania's Molly Strano.

Matthew Temple is the next athlete I will speak about. Matthew is 23 years old and collected a gold medal at the 2019 world championships and two bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Matthew trains under Peter Bishop at the South Australian Sports Institute and is a member of the Marion Swimming Club based at the State Aquatic Centre right across from my office.

In Birmingham, Matt had a busy program, competing in five events and winning medals in four of them. He swam to gold with his teammates in the men's 4 x 100-metre freestyle relay final and mixed 4 x 100-metre medley relay final. He claimed silver in the men's 100-metre butterfly final and the men's 4 x 100-metre medley relay final and finished fifth in the men's 50-metre butterfly, ahead of fellow South Australian Kyle Chalmers.

Since the Commonwealth Games, Matthew has competed at the 2022 Australian Short Course Swimming Championships in Sydney, winning the gold medal in the 50-metre butterfly with a personal best time of 22.7 seconds, and the 100-metre butterfly plus the bronze medal in the 100-metre freestyle.

The final Commonwealth Games athlete from Gibson was Meg Harris OAM. Meg, like Matt, trains under Peter Bishop at the SASI institute and is a member of Marion Swimming Club based at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre. Meg had a slightly quieter program than Matt but medalled in both of her events. Meg claimed gold in the mixed 4 x 100-metre freestyle relay final and silver in the women's 50-metre freestyle final. This is impressive, given she broke her arm in January this year.

Meg received her Order of Australia in the Australia Day 2022 Honours List for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 where she won both a gold and bronze. I wish Matthew and Meg all the best with their careers and I am sure I will be speaking about their achievements again in the future.

Humanity, equality and diversity are the Commonwealth Games Federation values, and values that I believe we should all embody. Humanity: to embrace all commonwealth athletes, citizens, communities and nations. We should embrace all members of our community and learn from their insights and experiences. I believe it is important to acknowledge that Commonwealth Games are the 'friendly games' where para and able-bodied athletes compete on the same stage, promoting inclusivity and achievement through sport.

Equality: to promote fairness, non-discrimination and inclusion in all that we do. We can demonstrate this by promoting fair play, providing appropriate facilities for male and female sportspeople and ensure that racism and homophobia is unacceptable. I was pleased to see British diver Tom Daley OBE make a powerful statement about our LGBTQI+ rights during the opening ceremony to highlight the 35 commonwealth countries where being part of this community is illegal.

Diversity: through impactful, high-performance sport, we help commonwealth athletes, citizens and communities realise their aspirations and ambitions. Everyone should be given the opportunity to strive towards their ambitions and dreams in their profession or interest of choice.

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to speak to all junior athletes and sportspeople across Gibson and encourage them to be inspired by the Commonwealth Games athletes but not discouraged if they are not winning medals. Participation in sport at any level is a great achievement and, while winners and medallists might get the glory, a personal best or just giving it a go is equally as important. I commend this motion.

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:48): Can I begin by thanking the minister for bringing the motion to the house. I think it is obviously our responsibility as the state parliament to recognise our athletes who represent our great state, particularly on the international scene.

One of the things that has always been paramount for our South Australian athletes has been to punch above our weight both in terms of representation on a national team but also in terms of results. I know that the minister and others who have provided contributions on this motion have pulled out the statistics in regard to that.

Congratulations on behalf of myself and my electorate of Colton to the 55 South Australians who represented our great state and our country at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year, and also a particular congratulations to those 23 gold medallists who have been referenced already. I will not go into too much detail or provide too long of a speech but I may not be able to help myself, so I do apologise in advance for that.

I want to highlight the achievements of the 74 para-athletes who represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year as well, between them winning 35 medals, including 12 gold, 13 silver and 10 bronze. This Commonwealth Games in particular for our para-athletes was one where we reflected on some rather large personalities, people who have driven and changed our Paralympic sport in Australia, and their careers coming to an end.

I want to highlight the nearly two decades of contributions of both Ellie Cole and Matt Levy to the Australian Paralympic swimming team. There is no better place for them to end their journeys than at the Commonwealth Games, where they get to stand side by side with the Australian swim team and compete. One of the things that was always different about the Commonwealth Games in some ways, what have been known traditionally as the 'friendly games', is that the Commonwealth Games Federation, and the movement in particular, has always been quick to try to expand to include and to continue to grow.

It is something dating back to the very early days of the inclusion of parasport in the Commonwealth Games, dating back to 1998. As more and more events started to come through in 2002, one of the biggest legacies of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in particular was to launch Paralympic sport, and Paralympic swimming in some ways, into more of the mainstream media. We had lost a little bit of momentum around Paralympic sport after the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, and it was then reignited off the back of that Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. A home Games is something that very few athletes get to experience, but it was one that I was very happy to take part in. I really did appreciate every moment of that.

There were so many other great performances. Maddie de Rozario is an absolute legend of an athlete in her own right, and Evan O'Hanlon on the track. I also want to call out our local girl Izzy Vincent for her efforts on the back of her performance in Tokyo as well. She was one of the youngest athletes on the team. It should never be underestimated, the burden of expectation that you carry as a young member of the team. She did exceptionally well.

I want to touch on women's cricket. In regard to their performance, this was obviously the first time we have had women's cricket in the Commonwealth Games. I also highlight the contribution of Darcie Brown, a fantastic Henley High product, for her amazing contribution to that team. I want to reflect just briefly on the inclusion of women's cricket in the Commonwealth Games for a couple of reasons. The first is the number of events for females in this Commonwealth Games surpassed any previous threshold, which was fantastic to see.

Secondly—and I may get slightly into territory I may not wish to venture into, but I will—I am a traditionalist in terms of seeing sports incorporated into large multisport events. I must admit that I may have been a slight sceptic when it came to skateboarding coming into the Olympics. I have walked out the other side perhaps appreciating that a little more than I may have previously. Video games may be a step too far for me, but we will come to that bridge when we get there.

For cricket, the powerhouse countries that contribute to that sport are largely Commonwealth nations. I have almost overlooked the fact that cricket, and in particular women's cricket, had not been included in the Commonwealth Games up to this point. I think it was a fantastic thing and I hope that it continues. I know that every hosting country gets the opportunity to include a sport of their choice into the games, so I do hope that women's cricket becomes a stable feature of the Commonwealth Games moving forward because I thought they made a great contribution.

Given my background, I also just want to touch on the contribution of our swimmers, in particular the swimmers from South Australia, the team: Matt Temple, Meg Harris, Kyle Chalmers, Maddie Wilson, Zac Incerti and all the swimmers down at both the Marion squad and more broadly through SASI. One of the things that has struck me in the last little while is the profound contribution that Peter Bishop has now had on our state's sporting landscape, not just in the pool but more broadly.

Obviously, I may be slightly biased in my representation of his skills and ability given that he was my coach for a long time through my career, but it is not just Commonwealth Games medals, Paralympic Games gold medals and Olympic Games gold medals that he has contributed to the Australian sporting landscape through swimming. It might surprise a couple of people in this house to know that Rohan Dennis started as a swimmer—we used to drive each other to training, funnily enough—but now has his first Commonwealth Games gold medal in cycling. Obviously, he has made a significant contribution to that sport through the Tour de France, the Olympics Games and more broadly.

Sophie Linn, who won a bronze medal in the triathlon at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year, also is a long-time swimmer through Pete's program, so it is not just swimming, but cycling and triathlon. We have a lot to be thankful for.

One of the things that often gets lost in the discussion is what we need for grassroots sport and as we progress through to high-performance sport. So much emphasis is put on facilities, but coaches really are significantly important to that journey as well. Having good coaching can well and truly turn programs around, which people probably do not truly understand.

We have South Australian swimming in a position where we have athletes of the calibre of Meg Harris, Matt Temple, Madi Wilson and Zac Incerti. Moving from interstate to swim here in South Australia is something that was unfathomable 15 to 20 years ago and that can largely be put down to the contribution that Peter Bishop has made through his coaching abilities and the squad that he has built here in South Australia, so congratulations to you, Pete. Keep doing what you are doing, Bish, because it is doing great things for our state to have these athletes here, training here in South Australia and winning medals for our great state.

I also call out and congratulate Wes Battams and the team at SASI on their continued good work in supporting our high-performance athletes. Wes has been a mainstay of SASI. For his benefit, I will not disclose how long he has been there, but he has done an excellent job and continues to lead that organisation in a professional manner and keeps delivering results. As we have said, we are batting well above our weight in terms of representation as well as medals.

To the team at the Commonwealth Games Federation here in Australia, people I know and have worked with over a long period of time as well, to Craig Phillips, the CE there, and to his high-performance team, led by Tim Mahon and including Danusia, keep up the good work and the things that you are doing.

Petria had pretty big shoes to fill. Steve Moneghetti had done such a terrific job as chef de mission of the Commonwealth Games team over many games. He chose to step down from that position after the home games on the Gold Coast four years ago. I think Petria has done an exceptional job from everything that I have heard from the team in regard to culture, the way that the team was constructed and the execution. Petria and her team, who have been mentioned in this place already, have done an absolutely incredible job. We have called out and recognised some of the other athletes. I think Jess Stenson, given the 42 and a bit kilometres that she had to run to achieve what she did, certainly deserves congratulations.

To finish, to all of the families, to the supporters, to the husbands, wives and families who made sacrifices to allow these athletes to do what they have done—it is one thing to be an athlete. It is one thing that you reflect on at the end of your sporting career, as I have done reasonably recently, although a little bit further away than it was a while ago. You have to make decisions that are in some ways incredibly selfish to be able to get you to the point of providing a performance that is elite. There are a lot of people who sacrifice not just time and finances but also emotionally to support our athletes and get them to where they are, so well done to our South Australian Commonwealth Games team and long may they continue to represent us with pride and distinction.

Mr BATTY (Bragg) (15:59): I rise to support this motion as well and to add my congratulations to the 55 South Australian athletes who represented their country in Birmingham at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. I thank the minister for the motion. It is quite right that we celebrate their achievement, celebrate their hard work and celebrate their dedication that has seen them perform at the highest level on the world stage.

While I am very proud of all 55 of those South Australian athletes, the reason for my brief contribution today is that I want to specifically acknowledge two of those athletes because not only were they gold medallists but they hail from my electorate in Bragg. Both Chloe Moran from Rose Park and Sophie Edwards from Tusmore were members of the awesome foursome cycling team that picked up gold in the women's team pursuit.

Chloe enjoyed a very rapid rise in the Australian track squad ahead of the Games this year after claiming two national titles in 2021. She participated in her first Commonwealth Games this year. She is a graduate of the SASI talent identification program as well. Sophie also is a graduate from that talent identification program and likewise was elevated to the Australian endurance squad for the first time this year, just in time to compete in what was her first Commonwealth Games. And what a way to debut. What a performance it was. Not only did Sophie, Chloe and their teammates bring gold back home to Adelaide but they also brought back a new Commonwealth Games record. It is an incredible achievement which I acknowledge today, and I congratulate them.

I did have the privilege of being able to tune in to the race. It was an amazing feat. I think the commentator at the time described it as having given him goosebumps, and I can tell you that he was not alone because it truly was a wonderful team performance that we should be very proud of. We should also acknowledge the hard work that goes into supporting these athletes behind the scenes, whether it be from friends, family or the professional network that go along. We know that you can only compete at the highest level with the support of many others, so I acknowledge and thank them as well.

The Commonwealth Games really is a tremendous event. It brings people together from all over the commonwealth in a spirit of goodwill, in a spirit of inclusivity to achieve through sport. I had the privilege of being able to visit some of the Commonwealth Games' venues in Birmingham ahead of the Commonwealth Games late last year. Even at that point, there was a real buzz in the air. There was an air of excitement and anticipation for this event that brings people together.

I also thank and acknowledge the people of Birmingham, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, the leader of that council, as well as the Mayor of the West Midlands, who I had the opportunity to meet with during that visit. They pulled off a tremendous Games. I thank all involved in organising it both on that side and in our Australian team. I again thank, acknowledge and congratulate the 55 South Australians who participated in the Commonwealth Games for Australia, and especially Chloe Moran and Sophie Edwards from Bragg. Congratulations.

Mrs PEARCE (King) (16:03): Growing up, many of us dream of the chance to wear our country's colours and represent our nation on the world stage, but it does not happen without a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Our South Australian athletes absolutely shine, and that was apparent at this year's Commonwealth Games, which was one of the most inclusive I have seen and hope to see much more of.

It is safe to say that our athletes often punch above their weight. I may be biased but none did more so than local legend Eddie Coumi when it came to this year's Commonwealth Games.

This was his debut to the Games and, interestingly enough, he almost did not have to throw a punch to place. You see, the quarter-final was almost called off, as his appointment was sporting the wrong coloured mouthguard. It was red, which sparked the debate about whether the ref would be able to notice blood. It would have taken Coumi straight to the semis, earning him a guaranteed bronze without having to have a single fight in Birmingham.

But he is a fair man, though, and he made it clear that he wanted to be able to fight for his place. He did not want to win that way. Fortunately, the drama was resolved and he got his chance. And what a fight it was! Eddie absolutely brought his A game, was quick and skilful and had a total KO in the second round. Coumi wanted to show the world what he was about, and he absolutely delivered.

Trained at his dad's gym, the Para Hills Amateur Boxing Club—which I believe is in your seat, member for Florey—this 26 year old claimed his place at Birmingham 2022 with great sportsmanship, something our community can be incredibly proud of. He has had the right mentor and coach to see him through: his dad, who encourages all of us to see boxing as more than competition fighting. In his words, 'People think boxing is all about being tough, but it's not. It teaches self-discipline and self-respect.'

In boxing, you are given the power to control your own successes and failures, helping you to build a sense of accountability that will also help you to develop attributes that include self-confidence, work ethic and sportsmanship. When the going gets tough, the only person helping you to overcome your struggles in that ring is you.

Eddie credits the sport with giving him the purpose and development he was seeking in his teens, and in return he is doing what he can to give back to his community and inspire the next generation. He is well on his way to world champion status. I commend him for his openness about the setbacks he has experienced along the way because the greatest lesson we can learn about success is that it is not measured by our wins but by our ability to get back up after every time we face an obstacle. Eddie knows that all too well.

After winning his first nationals in 2018, Eddie became injured when the next nationals came about. He then experienced a couple of setbacks when COVID hit, but he did not allow that to deter him from his own goals and ambitions. He gave it everything he had in his qualifiers to get to the Games, leaving absolutely nothing to chance. Furthermore, he is a team player and recognised all those who stood by him and shared their knowledge and intel along his journey that ultimately led him to claiming bronze at the Games.

I, too, would like to thank the family, friends and community who have supported Eddie on his journey, just as I would like to congratulate all the athletes who competed in the Games and their supports who have seen them through. You have all done us incredibly proud.

The ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Brown): Before I call the member for Morphett, I just want to express my own congratulations to Eddie Coumi, a product of the fine fighting Para Hills boxing club.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (16:07): I also rise to acknowledge what was a fantastic Commonwealth Games for all the Australian athletes, but in particular for the 55 South Australian athletes who competed and competed so well.

The Commonwealth Games have always had a fond place in all Australians—certainly my journey with the Commonwealth Games was the 1982 Games in Brisbane. The opening ceremony, when Matilda the kangaroo was going around, was a moment of great pride. That was a time when I do not think Australia saw itself on the world stage as confidently as it does now. That really marks a time, I think, when Australia came of age.

Who can forget some of those great athletes, Glynis Nunn amongst them. She was amazing and went on to win gold at the '84 Olympics—again, a time when gold medals for Australians in the Olympics were really very rare. She certainly stands out in great pride of place as, of course, did Mike Turtur in those '84 Games—again, another great South Australian.

As I said, the Commonwealth Games really has an important place in Australians. I remember the 2018 Commonwealth Games here in Australia, and the torch relay that went around Australia before the opening ceremony. One of those legs was in Glenelg, and I remember how well attended it was. It was, of course, with great pride that all these athletes represented their country in Birmingham in 2022. The forerunner of the Commonwealth Games was the British Empire Games, so where better to stage the Commonwealth Games than back in the United Kingdom.

We recognise that to get to the Commonwealth Games every athlete must be very dedicated and be supported by a great team. That great team, of course, starts with their family. Quite often when these athletes are very young they watch the Commonwealth Games and are inspired by the athletic and swimming pursuits of their heroes and set out to try to emulate them. That might be swimming, which requires fantastic effort on behalf of the athletes.

They often train twice a day, getting up in the mornings at 5 o'clock, to make sure they do their swimming before school, and then again completing their program after school. Of course, it is the parents who are the ones ferrying them to and from training, so it is really important that we pay tribute and recognise all the families who got them to where they are.

They are then supported on their journey as they go through the funnel and become identified, whether that is through the South Australian Institute of Sport (SASI) or through the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). They are put into the hands of some really fantastic coaches, and Australian coaches are recognised worldwide for their abilities. We certainly punch above our weight, and it shows in the results achieved by these athletes.

As we saw throughout the Commonwealth Games, Australia really had a magnificent games when you look at the medal tallies and also in terms of performances. While we may have had a medal, we also had so many competitors who finished outside the medals but who were certainly in the upper echelons of each event. Of course, the gold medal is the ultimate goal for so many of these athletes, and South Australian athletes should be congratulated on winning 23 of those gold medals, whether it was individually or as part of a team. It showed that South Australia was again contributing to Australian efforts on the world stage.

So many great athletes are mentioned in the motion, and other members here have spoken proudly about the athletes in their electorates. I would like to do the same and pay tribute to Kyle Chalmers, our world-renowned swimmer. The Big Tuna is the fastest in the blue ribbon event of the 100 metres. He won three gold medals: one in an individual event, the men's 100 metres freestyle, and then two in the team relays—and I think he values the team events perhaps the most highly.

I was fortunate enough to meet Kyle here in Parliament House last year after he returned from a terrific Olympic Games in Tokyo. He competed so hard in those team events, I think to the point of exhaustion with nothing held in reserve, even though he knew he had the men's 100 metres swim event coming up which, as I said, is the blue ribbon event in the pool. He held nothing back because he wanted nothing more than to ensure his relay teammates were able to be on the podium as well, and I think there was a bronze medal for the relay team.

Unfortunately, he missed out on the gold in Tokyo; he got his silver by the slimmest of margins—I think by 0.08 of a second. Sometimes those things come down to reaction time at the start. Talking to him about that, he said he loves and relishes the relays because of the team atmosphere it brings with it. That is no surprise. His father, of course, played for Port Adelaide and I in fact played against him. Brett Chalmers was a fantastic footballer and I think certainly Kyle has a passion for football as well and just loves that team environment. I think the relays give that to him.

Another thing these relays brought out was I think a bit of a darker side in the sport. The media love to build athletes up, put them up in lights but then, at the same time, are very happy to tear them down. I think it was really upsetting for Kyle and his family—and I think for sports lovers in general—to see the innuendo and really the mistruths that the media put out there about that medley relay which he won alongside Emma McKeon. They tried to talk that up and you could see that it affects these athletes.

It is a real concern for athletes' mental health, and the media need to be careful around trying to sell papers on the back of what could potentially cause mental health issues for athletes. Kyle spoke out about that and I think that should be acknowledged. His family and Brett were equally upset about what was going on. What advantage was there to tear down one of our great athletes that we should be so very proud of? Kyle started that conversation; he stood up for the mental health of athletes. I think that is going to be an important issue going forward: making sure we are looking after the mental health of these athletes.

We are celebrating them but also acknowledging that they are human. Yes, they are beyond mere mortals like us; they can swim, jump, run so much faster than all of us but, at the same time, blood runs through their veins and they are made of bones. That was something always impressed upon me by my coaches when we were up against talented players: that they were still made of blood and bone. They are human as well; they can be defeated and they can be brought down. I think we need to be very careful about how we go about those things.

Let's finish on a positive note for Kyle. Let's congratulate him on his three gold medals and let's congratulate all the South Australians on the 23 gold medals they were involved in and let's acknowledge what a successful event it was. We thank Birmingham for putting it on. It is a big thing for cities to put on a Games. Birmingham, an industrial city in England, put on a friendly games, a games that was of much interest and support here in Australia. Again, we congratulate all athletes who represented South Australia so proudly.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (16:17): I rise to speak about the human endeavour we witnessed at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the spirit of sportsmanship we as a nation gloriously bathed in. I do not just mean the gold, the silver and bronze medals. I mean that electric feeling which transcends the will to win that even we as spectators thousands of kilometres away on the other side of the world can feel.

Why we felt it reach through our television screens so profoundly during these commonwealth games, I suggest, had something to do with the way in which the world—not just us here in South Australia—had become disconnected from one another through the pandemic. Such a celebration of coming together of commonwealth nations with a common bond was something to rejoice in. We needed that.

So I say thank you to our Australian athletes, all 433, for connecting us to your endeavour and your sportsmanship and your glory. As I said, it was not really about finishing top of the table with the 178 medals. In thinking about each and every one of the athletes, including those participating in the para games, I came to the realisation that it takes almost a village to get just one person to this level: many years of hard work, commitment and dedication not only by the athlete but by many.

One case in point is gold medallist road cyclist Rohan Dennis, who won his first Commonwealth Games medal. Rohan's parents, Debbie and Brenton, moved to Vale Park, in my electorate of Torrens, when Rohan was just a child because they were told he had a future, not in cycling but in swimming. They wanted to be closer to the Norwood Swimming Club and the Adelaide Aquatic Centre. Rohan trained under Peter Bishop, Kyle Chalmer's coach.

His mum, Debbie, would drive Rohan to swimming training and to school and clock up more than 700 kilometres a week doing it. During this time, through swimming, he came to know other members in this place: the member for Colton and the member for Cheltenham, who also excelled in the sport.

His dad, Brenton, was running the family business. In his early teens, Rohan Dennis was best in the state for breaststroke. Then, someone gave him a bike. He started riding it and loving it and doubling up his training without telling coach Peter Bishop what he was up to. His dad, Brenton, took his son to Queensland when he was 15 years old to compete in his first cycling time trail, where he came ninth. Brenton tells me that after that he never lost one.

South Australia saw something in Rohan Dennis very early on. He attended the South Australian Sports Institute and was under the tutelage of Australian cycling endurance coach Ian McKenzie here in Adelaide before heading off to the AIS. From the age of 18, Rohan started competing on the European circuit. South Australia gave Rohan Dennis the opportunity to find his way as an elite athlete. He now competes all over the world as a professional cyclist.

To Brenton and Debbie, your commitment over many years and Rohan's hard work and dedication have taken him high. We thank you for raising your champion son, one who, in turn, gives us so much pleasure. It is not lost on this house how much each parent, each coach and each team gives towards that special individual to help them fly. Rohan is currently in Spain, competing in the Vuelta a Espana. We wish him well and happy days with his wife, Mel, and two children, Oliver and Madeline. I know in the not too distant future his parents plan to visit.

The Commonwealth Games are known as the 'friendly games' with nations competing on a level playing field in the spirit of friendship and fair play. The Commonwealth Games Federation states as their values:

Humanity. We embrace all Commonwealth athletes, citizens, communities and nations.

Equality. We promote fairness, non-discrimination and inclusion...

Destiny. Through impactful, high-performance sport, we help Commonwealth athletes, citizens and communities realise their aspirations and ambitions.

I know the Birmingham Games achieved these goals.

I want to congratulate and thank each South Australian athlete who competed in the Commonwealth Games and, in doing so, acknowledge their contribution along with the many sacrifices they have made to compete at the elite level. I extend that to their families, extended families, coaches and their support teams.

To the medallists and to all athletes from South Australia who participated in the Games and gave it their all, you make us proud. It was indeed a remarkable effort. I wholeheartedly support the motion moved by the Minister for Sport and member for Reynell. I commend the motion to the house.

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (16:23): I also rise to speak to this commendable motion. It was great to see Australia do so well at the Commonwealth Games. I think we had 430 participants. South Australia boxed above its weight with 55 participants. On a per capita basis, we are doing very well indeed. I think we got over 20 per cent of the medals, so it was a very good effort on the part of South Australia.

The first Commonwealth Games I fully remember getting excited about and watching—I think similar to the member for Morphett—was the Games in Brisbane. The thing that always stuck in my mind about those Games was de Castella winning the marathon. It was actually a really amazing race to watch. I went on to be a very keen middle-distance and distance runner, so I do have a real interest in athletics and did compete for quite a few years.

I want to be incredibly parochial with respect to who I talk about, because a Whyalla resident did take out a gold medal, and I want to talk about that Whyalla resident. It was Leigh Hoffman in the team sprint cycling. Leigh started his career back in Whyalla not all that long ago. It was interesting to read the comments that were made about Leigh back in 2018. The comments were made by the Australian Sports Foundation when summing up Leigh's career at that stage:

It has been a remarkable rise of Leigh who started his cycling career with the Whyalla Cycling Club just five years ago.

His coach convinced him to go to the State Championships and after coming away with a number of medals and a taste for riding in circles, he was picked in the national team later that year.

It is probably interesting to reflect upon the sporting infrastructure, because I do not think there are many regional communities with a velodrome, and the fact that Whyalla dos have a velodrome has enabled us to produce a number of champions over the years.

Leigh was selected in the State Development Cycling Squad in 2015, and that meant more trips to Adelaide. It is always a lot harder for country people to participate in training and competition. Leigh was then chosen in the state team to compete at the 2016 Launceston National Junior Track Cycling Championships.

He started off his nationals campaign with a bang, winning a gold in the 500-metre time trial becoming a junior Australian champion and breaking the South Australian record. Leigh later qualified first in the 200 metres narrowly missing the New Zealand all-comers record. This was backed up with some great rides and produced a win in the under 19 men's sprint, becoming the Oceania Champion.

February 2018 saw Leigh attend the under 19 Australian championships in Queensland where he qualified second in the 200 metres, breaking the Australian record for his first time, and the time was then subsequently broken by the rider just after him by 0.02 of a second. Leigh then went on for a brilliant sprint round, won gold and became the under 19 Australian champion, and also picked up a silver medal with fellow South Aussies in the team sprint. Since then he has gone on to represent us in the Commonwealth Games, and as part of that team took out a gold medal.

It is interesting to reflect upon Whyalla's contribution to cycling. It is a relatively small community. Someone I knew well who worked for the Whyalla City Council for many years was Ron Versteegh, who was also a Commonwealth Games cyclist. He now lives in Adelaide.

Probably the best known cyclist—and I am sure that Leigh will go further, one would hope—was Graham Jose. He was something of a hero in Whyalla given that he represented Australia many years ago in the 1972 Olympics. Graham is remembered because his life was cut very short while racing in Austria. He was involved in an accident on 23 June 1973, and he was killed in that accident.

Whyalla has the Graham Jose Awards each year for young people. In 1975, a bunch of workers at the shipyards in Whyalla, which was then the largest shipyard in the country, built the memorial gates at the velodrome in order to have a concrete representation, if you like, of Graham Jose's achievements. It was a sad loss.

I hear that the former member for Giles actually fancied Graham Jose. They went to school together, and if anyone knew the former member for Giles she did not have an athletic bone in her body, but never mind. We can't all be athletes and especially exceptional athletes.

I will also mention Jess Stenson—I am not sure if she has had a change of surname—who won the marathon. I am a lover of middle distance and distance racing, and I know what you have to put in to compete at that level when it comes to distance racing. A number of other people have spoken about Jess here today, so I will let those words speak for her.

Now I am going to go out of the state because I think there is something that should be acknowledged—once again, it is my running prejudice—and what should be acknowledged is the run of Ollie Hoare. It was an absolutely amazing, very strong and tactical 1500-metre race. When he came around the final bend on the 400-metre track, he had two world champions in front of him, plus a Scotsman who the whole of the stadium was behind, but Ollie just ran a perfectly measured race and won.

The exceptional thing about that is that the last time an Australian runner, either at the Commonwealth Games or the Olympic Games, won a 1500-metre race, you would have to go all the way back to Herb Elliott in 1960. So that achievement in winning the race was amazing given the quality of that field. It is interesting to reflect that when Herb Elliott won in the Olympics back in 1960, his winning time was three minutes and 35 seconds. The winning time by Ollie was five seconds faster and I think the world record at the moment is probably about four seconds faster than his winning time of three minutes and 30 seconds.

There is something about sport that can at its best bring us together. I know that in country communities sport is an incredibly important part of the fabric of the community. There are a few things that stick out when it comes to people who do the right thing, and once again it is my running prejudice. This is way before my time, but John Landy, who went on to be the Governor of Victoria, was racing in an Australian national championship, and this is one of the things that has now been immortalised in a sculpture. A young Herb Elliott, I believe it was—although it might not have been, but it was another champion runner who held the junior record—had a fall and Landy went back and helped him up and somehow went on to win the race. If anything, that epitomises an approach: you can have competition but it does not have to be competition at all costs. We can help others up.

In some ways, for some of us here, that epitomises our political approach to life, that combination of decency and competition and trying to do your best. Long may the Commonwealth Games continue. It is a very positive games and a positive manifestation of humanity, and it is always enjoyable to watch.

Ms HOOD (Adelaide) (16:33): I rise to speak in support of this motion. Firstly, I would like to congratulate all 55 South Australian athletes who competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games on their incredible achievements. With or without a medal, their hard work and dedication are incredibly inspiring, and we are very proud to have such amazing athletes representing our great state on the world stage. We know the success of our athletes does not go without sacrifices and would not happen at all without family, friends, partners and loved ones, so a big thankyou to those behind the scenes who have no doubt been tireless in their support of our athletes.

On a personal note I wanted to talk about one particular athlete I have a very personal connection to—Jessica Stenson, or Jessica Trengove as I knew her growing up together in Naracoorte. Jess grew up in Bibury Avenue just near Naracoorte hospital, where their family's pool was the highlight of a lot of local kids. I would spend every Friday after school with my mum at the Trengoves' pool, which I credit for fostering my passion for swimming instructing and becoming a swimming instructor in my university days.

Jess's running career began at Naracoorte primary, where we went to school together. At the beginning of the school year, we would participate in Naracoorte Primary School's cross-country, running through the pine forest and the nature park alongside our school. While Jess was probably more focused on winning that race, I was always more excited about the barbecue at the end of the cross-country race. It goes to show her passion really has paid off.

Jess's achievement is so inspiring on many levels, not just as an athlete but also as a mum. She had her son, Billy, in 2019, and she has really credited becoming a mum to Billy as making her an even better marathon runner. She has talked about the fact that, just like a race, it is really just one foot in front of the other. You cannot think too far ahead, and that is very similar to parenthood. They do say the days are long and the years are short, so sometimes on those long days it is really just a case of putting one foot in front of the other and getting on with it.

Jess has represented Australia on the world stage in multiple games, including the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. She won bronze at the 2014 Glasgow Comm Games and bronze as well at the 2018 Gold Coast Comm Games before winning the big gold at Birmingham. A lot of people in Naracoorte past and present were so incredibly proud when we saw Jess's beautiful beaming smile that we all know so well when she crossed the finish line in two hours, 27 minutes and 31 seconds to claim the gold medal.

She also went into the history books, becoming the first female to win three Commonwealth Games medals in the marathon, so it really is one for the history books. I would like also to shout out to Jess's husband, Dylan, who I know is so incredibly supportive of her career, and her son, Billy; her proud parents, Colin and Deb; her siblings, Jack and Abbie; and all her family and friends, in particular those still in Naracoorte. Jess is an inspiration to past, present and no doubt future Naracoorte residents, and I would just like to say that we are so very incredibly proud of her.

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (16:37): I move first of all to amend the motion of the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing as follows:

That:

The number '23' at paragraph (c) be replaced with the number '26'

The words ', Kristina Clonan, Caitlin Ward' be inserted at paragraph (c)(i) after the words 'Rohan Dennis'

The words 'and Tom Wickham (Hockey)' be inserted at paragraph (c)(vi) after the words 'Sarah Klau (netball)'

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): That seems to be in order, member for Elizabeth. You may speak to it.

Mr ODENWALDER: Showing my ignorance, I briefly assumed that 'Hockey' was that gentleman's nickname, but clearly it is the sport in which he participated. First of all, I want to congratulate the minister on bringing this to the house. It is important that we recognise the achievements of our athletes and, of course, the gold medallists mentioned in the motion. Members may know that I am not this chamber's greatest sports fanatic generally. I do like soccer quite a lot, I am a Richmond Football Club fan by marriage, but I do have a history of promoting my breakdancing talents as a teenager.

Mr Tarzia: Why did you stop?

Mr ODENWALDER: Why did I stop, indeed. Who says I did stop? Breaking does not stop. I was delighted to see that for the first time breakdancing was included at the Commonwealth Games. It was on display as a showcase in Birmingham, and it will also be a medalling sport at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): There's hope for you yet.

Mr ODENWALDER: There's hope for me yet, indeed, Mr Acting Speaker, and you will be the first person on the invitation list to come and see me perform in Paris in 2024. But the actual hero of the breakdancing demonstrations at Birmingham was a young man by the name of Meaway Kevin 'MK' Kallon. I will not tell his story, but it is an example of sport lifting people up from very humble beginnings. He fled Sierra Leone with his family, grew up in Fishermead and ended up in Milton Keynes, hence his nickname. In his words, he says:

I realised that dance was my thing because of the freedom and creativity it offered… Breaking took over and I've been doing it ever since... I felt so proud to be dancing on this stage…doing it for my home city.

Joking aside, I am pleased that breakdancing is included in the Paris Olympics and was demonstrated at the Commonwealth Games because it is a sport and it does demand a lot, just as any athletic endeavour does.

I want to congratulate all our gold medallists who are named in this motion. When events like the Commonwealth Games take place, we do focus on the gold medallists of course; they bring home the glory for their country or their state. But I do want to recognise someone today whose efforts directly helped Australia win a gold medal but who did not receive one themselves in Birmingham.

Alexandra Manly was born in Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, but early in her youth she moved to Adelaide. Growing up, Alexandra loved sport and in particular basketball. Unfortunately for Alex, a prerequisite for basketball was to be quite tall and, like me, she is not exactly a giant but, unlike me, she found a way to use this to her advantage. At the age of 14, the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) identified her outstanding aerobic capacity and subsequently directed her towards cycling, and it was there that she excelled.

What she says about her experiences going into cycling and then moving into more professional sporting endeavours really embodies, I think, what sport can be and what it can mean for people. She says:

I was a shy kid and cycling broke that barrier for me. I love the social side, the team aspect and being with friends. I love working together and getting stronger as a team.

At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Alexandra Manly was part of the team that helped compatriot Georgia Baker win gold in the women's road race. As members may know, in road racing there is only one gold medal awarded, but without a dedicated team around you it is almost impossible to win as an individual.

This rule of thumb was on show in the Birmingham road race, with Alexandra, along with her teammates, Ruby Roseman-Gannon and Sarah Roy, helping maintain the pace for Georgia Baker, protecting her from the wind, all while keeping an eye on the moves of other teams. Australia's teamwork over the course of almost three hours helped Georgia preserve energy during the race, providing her the perfect platform to burst over the final stages to cross the finish line first and claim gold.

Alexandra is now notable for having competed in both road and track cycling events at multiple Commonwealth Games. She previously won a gold medal in team track pursuit at the 2018 Gold Coast games. She also competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the Izu Velodrome in Australia's women's team track pursuit.

Since the Commonwealth Games, Alexandra has gone from strength to strength in her first year riding for the professional women's team Bike Exchange Jayco. On 12 August this year, Alexandra took out her first UCI Women's World Tour stage win in the 119.4 kilometre fourth leg of the Tour of Scandinavia, riding from Askim to Mysen. For those who know Alex well, they are not surprised by her success.

Alexandra Manly won a lot of junior and senior races in my electorate at the Central District Cycling Club, known colloquially as Centrals. Centrals, while in fact slightly across the border in a neighbouring electorate, represents the northern and eastern areas of the Adelaide Plains and Hills. It was founded in the late 1950s, and in the early years of Centrals the club was fortunate enough to possess an outdoor velodrome, which I only recently became aware of, with a surface composed of coal ash over tar at Ramsay Park. Eventually, this piece of land was handed over to the Elizabeth City Soccer Club, which subsequently, through various iterations, became the Playford Patriots Soccer Club, which the member for Hartley might be familiar with.

Mr Tarzia: Eight years.

Mr ODENWALDER: Eight years, eight more. The Playford Patriots Soccer Club, the member for Hartley may well be familiar with, but not as familiar, of course, as he is with the mighty Raiders. By way of passing, my son Jimmy played briefly for the Playford Patriots before moving on to the Raiders and to cause Campbelltown considerable distress over the years.

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

Mr ODENWALDER: He is loyal; I will give him that. If you head down Womma Road to Ramsay Park today you will see banking on some of the track surrounding the eastern soccer pitches. During the sixties, the club began running its own junior road racing tours and, before the pandemic, these underage cycling tours had grown, hosting events for both under 13s and under 17s, attracting talent from all across Australia.

Next year, the Tour Down Under resumes its status as part of the UCI World Tour for both men and women. I look forward to seeing Alexandra take part in riding for the Team BikeExchange-Jayco on the same local roads that her Centrals use. I commend the motion to the house.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS (Enfield—Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Minister for Arts) (16:46): I rise to also speak in support of the member for Reynell's motion as amended by the member for Elizabeth just now. The results for the 2022 Commonwealth Games for the Australian team were outstanding, as many members have commented on. We in this place should rightly congratulate these athletes on their commitment to their sport and their achievements.

While the Games are not necessarily about winning, they are about celebrating sporting excellence and athletes performing at their best, which certainly happened in Birmingham. Team Australia managed to secure a total of 178 medals throughout the games: 54 bronze, 57 silver and an incredible 67 gold medals. South Australian athletes contributed to 23 of those gold medals, which is an outstanding contribution.

Many of these gold medals were won in cycling events. My electorate of Enfield is now home to the Adelaide Super-Drome, where many of these cyclists train and compete regularly. South Australia certainly is the cycling state. The South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) has a cycling program that is second to none and produces some of Australia's best cycling talent, producing the likes of Anna Meares, who won 11 world championships, six Olympic medals and eight Commonwealth Games medals. She is rightly held up as one of the greatest track cyclists Australia has ever produced.

Since 1999, we have been the home of the Tour Down Under. It is the first stop on the UCI World Tour and the first race in the world outside of Europe to be granted the prestigious UCI World Tour status. The tour will be back in full flight this summer, which we are all very excited about, the first time since COVID. South Australians have embraced the tour and have turned it into a festival of cycling that will run for 10 days this January. It will showcase the best of what South Australia has to offer the world, from the Barossa Valley, to the Fleurieu, to our coastline and through to the Adelaide Hills. From the sea to the vines and everything in between, it will be on display for the world to see.

Also, very excitingly, the women's race for the upcoming tour has now been granted UCI World Tour status, which is an amazing coup for South Australia. It will see the world's best women's cyclists come to South Australia to compete. I am certainly hoping we see the return of hometown hero Tiffany Cromwell. Cycling will continue to sell South Australia to the world. By producing some of Australia's best cycling talent right here, we are ensuring we can continue to promote South Australia's excellence.

When I say we are producing some of Australia's best cycling talent, 18 South Australian track cyclists attended the Birmingham games. Dressed in green and gold, these cyclists made an impression from the get-go. The men's team sprint secured a gold medal on day one and set a new Commonwealth Games record in the process. South Australian Matthew Richardson, who contributed to that team medal, also secured his own individual gold medal with a win in the sprint double. As the member for Reynell's motion notes, the Commonwealth Games are the 'friendly games', with para and able-bodied athletes competing on the same stage.

Beau Wootton, in his Commonwealth Games debut, claimed a bronze medal in the men's para tandem sprint with his Western Australian pilot, Luke Zaccaria, while our South Australian women performed beyond all expectations.

Kristina Clonan secured a gold medal for her efforts in the women's 500-metre time trial, managing to break the Commonwealth Games record at the same time. Georgia Baker, another South Australian, put on more gold after winning the women's 25-kilometre points race by 55 points. Maeve Plouffe, another SASI success story, won silver in the women's individual 3,000-metre pursuit where the women's team pursuit also took out a gold medal. Another SASI athlete, Caitlin Ward, who was the pilot for Jess Gallagher, won gold in the women's tandem 1,000-metre time trial, which is a wonderful way to round out the para-cycling campaign and was their second gold medal for the Games.

Five of the six riders who made up the men's 4,000-metre team pursuit all hail from South Australia and rode away with a bronze medal. Conor Leahy from that team took out an individual bronze medal in the men's individual 4,000-metre pursuit, and on the final day of the track cycling competition Thomas Cornish faced off against fellow South Australian Matthew Glaetzer in the men's 1,000-metre time trial.

Thomas, in his Commonwealth Games debut, took home a silver medal, finishing just half a second behind Matthew, who won the gold. That was an extraordinary performance from the two of them. Thomas should be proud, as he was competing against one of Australia's most successful track cyclists. Matthew equalled the Australian record for five Commonwealth Games cycling gold medals—an extraordinary effort.

No doubt we will see Australia's next Anna Meares appear as a result of this gold rush, with more young people being inspired into taking up cycling having watched all this action unfold on their TV screens, just as I know Anna was inspired when she saw Kathy Watt win gold at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

But it is not only the dedication of these athletes that we have to applaud, of course, it is their families' as well. The parents who wake up very early on cold mornings and knock off early from work to take competitors to training or competitions, family members who support them when they lose and celebrate them with their victories, we see this level of support not only for these athletes but in our sporting communities as well, at community level—our local football clubs, cricket clubs, tennis clubs, soccer clubs. Parents are there in full force, supporting their children from juniors all the way through to seniors.

The caregivers who run the clubs, who cook the barbecues, who fundraise for the clubs all deserve congratulations. The grandparents who volunteer their valuable time to ensure local sporting clubs nurture the talent of our young kids in our community.

I am very proud of the Enfield electorate, which is rich in community sporting clubs. We have the Broadview Football Club, the Kilburn Football Club and the Kilburn Cricket Club, the Gepps Cross cricket and football clubs, the Greenacres Football Club, the Ghan Soccer Club, the Enfield Tennis Club, Adelaide Victory Soccer Club, and the brilliant Enfield Harriers Athletics Club and the Little Harriers club as well.

In addition to all the players at these clubs, of course, as I said, it is the parents, family members, partners, friends and all those supporters attending club functions and supporting these young people so that we can continue to develop our sporting talent as a state and as a country, to see our future commonwealth and Olympic athletes succeed. On that note, I commend this motion to the house.

Amendment carried; motion as amended carried.