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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-09-19 Daily Xml
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PARALYMPIC TEAM

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (16:24): I move:

That this council—

1. notes the magnificent achievements of the 2012 Australian Paralympic team;

2. commends the team for its 85 medals and for placing 5th on the overall medal tally; and

3. notes that, with a global television audience of up to 3.8 billion people watching the London Paralympic Games, the Australian team has inspired us all and we are very proud of their performances.

It gives me great pleasure to move this motion because, yet again, Australian Paralympians have conducted themselves with integrity and professionalism on the global stage and are worthy of parliamentary recognition. This is particularly the case for our South Australia Paralympians.

The 2012 Paralympics were the largest Paralympics ever, and it is the second largest sporting event to date in 2012. Over 4,000 athletes competed from 165 countries. This was 19 more countries than the previous Beijing Paralympics, and we are beginning to see that the Paralympics is now at critical mass, which is a great thing not only for the event and the sports involved but also for placing athletic role models on the public stage to inspire our young South Australians.

This year, there were 503 medal events in 20 sports, and a record number of rights-holding broadcasters televised the event right around the world to an estimated audience of 3.8 billion people. This year the Australian Paralympic team competed in 13 of the 20 sports. The Australian team consisted of 305 people, with 161 athletes, including three pilots for vision-impaired athletes, and 144 support staff. As you can see, this is a serious business out to get results.

This Australian team was the largest team ever sent overseas. An interesting point is that over 40 of these athletes attended an Australian Paralympic Committee talent search day. These days were established by the Australian Paralympic Committee in 2005 to identify and then in turn develop potential Australian Paralympians. They have been a great source of success. In Beijing, 27 athletes were found through this method and claimed 14 medals, or 17 per cent.

The program has tested over 1,800 Paralympic hopefuls since its inception from right across Australia. Indeed, there is a talent search day being held at Westminster College on 13 October, and if anyone here knows anyone who might be interested, they should log on to the paralympic.org.au website to find out more. There just might be another Matt Cowdrey out there.

This year the South Australian contingent comprised 12 athletes equating to 7.5 per cent of the team. They were in athletics, Gabriel Cole and Michael Roeger; in cycling, Kieran Modra, Scott McPhee, Stephanie Morton and Felicity Johnson who all rode with pilots; in equestrian, Grace Bowman; Rachel Henderson in goalball; 11-time Paralympian Libby Kosmala in shooting—

The Hon. G.A. Kandelaars: My mother's neighbour.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA: Very good—and our swimmers, Jay Dohnt, Esther Overton and superstar Matt Cowdrey. Matt Cowdrey, as you know, is a home-grown legend, a graduate of Endeavour High School and student of Adelaide University who now lives in Canberra where he is a full-time Paralympian. He began his rise to superstardom with a swim career at the Norwood Swimming Club, and I have no doubt some of his achievements will be hanging on the walls of that club.

Matt Cowdrey started swimming when he was five years old, broke his first Australian open record when he was 11 years old and set his first world record at age 13. Since then, Matt has competed at the 2004 Athens games, the 2008 Beijing games and the just-gone London games. In 2009 he was named Young South Australian of the Year and in 2011 he was inducted into the AIS special category of 'Best of the Best'. Matt's haul of five medals this year pushed him to the elite of Paralympians, by now claiming 13 medals, which makes him the most successful Australian Paralympian of all time. There is no doubt that Matt is someone all young swimmers, with or without a disability, can look up to. He is a champion athlete and deserves to be recognised by this place.

I should also mention Libby Kosmala, who is well known in both chambers—and indeed to the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars' mother, who is her neighbour. Libby is an 11-times Paralympian who is pretty deadly with an air rifle, but is also an advocate for people with disability in South Australia. Some may remember her integral role in the bringing in of disabled parking permits after her long battle with the City of Adelaide. Libby, Matt and all the South Australian swim team are sporting legends in their own right, but also excellent ambassadors for our state and nation. That is why I am happy to commend this motion to the chamber.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. K.L. Vincent.

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