Page 4907 - Week 11 - Thursday, 21 October 2010
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By the way, this $200,000 investment ensures that local kids have the best opportunity to emulate all the AFL stars from Tuggeranong, like Essendon premiership player Justin Blumfield and, as mentioned earlier, former St Kilda captain—losers!—Aaron Hamill, who had the good sense to leave. But where did he go? Carlton. There is no accounting for taste, is there? That is another good thing that Collingwood would like to do after beating St Kilda again—beat Carlton.
I was told by Mr Doszpot that we are 10 members short. As of this morning there were 4,932 membership pledges, but do you see this? You were knocking me about this. In that man bag, for the purposes of the Hansard—
Mr Seselja: Is that a purse or a man bag?
MR HARGREAVES: No, that is a man bag. It is a utility satchel, you ignoramus. The difference is that it has not got a shoulder strap.
Mr Seselja: Does it have your moisturiser in it?
MR HARGREAVES: Where is your feminine side, Mr Seselja? That is why you could not get a game in AFL, mate—because you are not in touch with your feminine side.
Can I now turn to the really serious bit about this? We need to remember that in football, and in fact in any sport, the best part of it is having a lot of fun—having a lot of fun and giggles on the field and having sportsmanship. We have a tourism aspect to this. It would be a drawcard for this city. But, more importantly, the Greater Western Sydney team is a professional outfit. Kevin Sheedy would not touch it if it was not a professional outfit. Having a professional outfit essentially co-base itself using Canberra as that base is probably the most fantastic news for AFL supporters for decades. If we are to have an incremental step towards having our own team in the AFL, which will happen well after I am gone, this is the only way to go about it.
Mr Smyth: Well, go now and assist the process.
MR HARGAEVES: I will be gone next Thursday. We have seen teams go down the gurgler. Cosmos is one. You know about that, Mr Doszpot. But there are other teams that have tried it and not quite made it. I think there is a good chance that GWS is going to be a real force. It will take a little while. What better place to nurture that talent and all of that corporate commitment to AFL than here in Canberra? I think this is the best thing since sliced bread.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (4.19): On behalf of the Liberal Party in this place, where all members are members of the GWS bid, I would just like to add a few words and thank a few people as well. It is really important that young players have something to aspire to. They need to have heroes who will inspire them to be the best that they can be, whatever their sport. You can see in a way the decline, almost, of Australian rules football in the ACT. Firstly, the Cannons, followed by the Raiders and then the Brumbies in particular brought to this town first-rate football—the best football of the
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