Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 5 Hansard (9 May) . . Page.. 1444 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

World-class facilities in the ACT allow us to host events as diverse as Olympic soccer and Australian rugby test matches, such as the one we played against Argentina. We have the potential now to host the rugby world cup matches. I think we are able to do that because of the foresight of the previous Liberal government. We have an excellent facility and everyone who uses it tells us that it is very good. The feedback from the Japanese Olympic contingent was that it was a delightful area to play at. They were very pleased with it.

I think one of the assets of the Canberra Stadium is its ease of access. For instance, when the Brumbies played the Lions, people found it quite easy to come down from Sydney to watch the game. Games that are played here can be watched by people not just from Canberra and the region-I know that people from the region support the games that are played here-but from as far away as Sydney, if not further, and that is important.

The other thing that has grown recently-and I would like to bring this to the attention of the Assembly, using rugby as a theme-is aviation services. You might think this is a strange approach, but Canberra International Airport is trying to negotiate services with various New Zealand cities to make sure that there are direct flights to Canberra when the Brumbies play New Zealand teams at Canberra Stadium. It is a nuisance and very expensive to have to travel by the normal route from, say, Auckland or Wellington to Sydney to Canberra. I would like to congratulate Steve Byron and the people at the Canberra International Airport for their efforts in trying to make the international airport work so well-and good luck to them in that regard-and also trying to use it as an avenue to get people to Canberra Stadium. They are doing tremendous work in that regard as well.

Mr Speaker, I am not sure which of my colleagues are going to the launch this evening at the Irish Ambassador's residence of the book First Fleet to Federation: the Irish Supremacy in Colonial Australia. Perhaps those of us who are going might take the opportunity to whisper in Richard O'Brien's ear and say what a lovely spot Canberra would be to host the Irish team. I think they would fit in here rather well. As Mr Stefaniak has pointed out, the Lions certainly came and made themselves at home and it would be spectacular to have a team like the Irish or the English, or any of the other major teams, base themselves in the home of the Brumbies.

Canberra, as home of the Brumbies, has proven that a region like the ACT can produce outstanding rugby teams. Home-grown kids have come up through the ranks-through teams such as Royals and Tuggeranong. Schools like Eddies, Marist and Phillip College have produced some outstanding Australian internationals. As we all know, the current Australian captain is a St Edmunds boy; so well done, George Gregan.

Our young rugby players and all our young sportsmen and women should be allowed to aspire to the highest level of the game they are involved in. My twin daughters, when they were about 10 or 11, played in an all-girls rugby team in the mid-week schools competition in Tuggeranong. Each year they got to the grand final but unfortunately they lost. But they had local heroes who were playing the best rugby in the world at the highest levels in the world-provincial Super 12 level and then at the Australian level. It is incredibly important that you are able to see your heroes play, score tries and kick goals. That is why it is so important that a city like Canberra, which is part of the great

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .