Page 749 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (4.10): I rise to mention a couple of grants in the women’s sport area that I think are very good. In my electorate the capital assistance program gave some funding to the Tuggeranong Netball Association to upgrade their toilets. It does not sound like a very exciting project, but I can assure you that it is. Down there at the Calwell playing fields and the Tuggeranong netball courts, up until now there have been two toilets for what is usually about 1,500 women and girls on a Saturday morning.
This is clearly inadequate. There are very limited change facilities. Girls usually get changed in the main area of the building there. What often happens on netball mornings is that the men’s toilet in the building is used also as a women’s toilet. Men have to go over to the public toilets on the soccer fields, which hopefully have been opened by the rangers. They get locked each night and opened each morning. If they are not opened by the rangers it leaves the men caught short, so to speak.
Some time ago—it was midway through last year—I wrote to the minister asking about the possibility of an upgrade to the toilets and was told that there was no plan at that time. I think I wrote in July last year. But they have been successful in gaining funding through the capital assistance program. I know that president Jonathan Toze and the committee of the Tuggeranong Netball Association are very excited and pleased to be able to progress better toilet or ablution facilities down there at the Calwell playing fields.
The Tuggeranong Netball Association are very well known for a number of programs, including their reconciliation action plan and their Indigenous netball work. But they have also started this year the netball inclusion project. They had a come and try day just recently. The Tuggeranong participation netball competition had a come and try day on 17 March, just last weekend. People with disability, male and female, were invited to come along to the Tuggeranong Netball Association to try out the game of netball.
That is being run with the assistance of a grant from the department. I commend them for funding that particular program. This participation netball competition will run through the winter season and will enable the support and participation of people of all abilities. It is another good inclusion project. I commend the Tuggeranong Netball Association for seeking funding to start this project.
I understand that it could be one of the first of its type in Australia. They are very excited about it. The addition of more toilet facilities will be another good addition to the facilities down there. Again, congratulations to the committee of the Tuggeranong Netball Association for their foresight in applying for these grants. I look forward to seeing the result of the funding that they have received.
MS CODY (Murrumbidgee) (4.14): I thank Ms Cheyne for bringing this MPI—the importance of sports grants for supporting women’s and girls’ sport in Canberra—to the chamber today. As I am sure everyone in this place is very aware, I love sport, but I particularly love supporting women’s and girls’ sport.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video