Page 1831 - Week 05 - Thursday, 10 May 2018
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best for the rest of the season and look forward to getting out to see another game soon.
The Jets have also been hard at work in offering more opportunities to women in sport. The club are committed to improving the facilities for their women players and have increased the number of age groups available to junior players. Expanding beyond women’s football, the Jets began offering netball in 2017 when they entered two teams in the north Canberra netball competition.
This season they have doubled in size, to four teams. Saturday was a huge day for the club, with the women’s Pink Footy Day and round 1 of netball. The club held a women in sport event that evening, where they heard from a number of prominent women, including Olympic gold medallist Sharni Williams and the unstoppable Bronwyn Fagan.
They also heard from netball vice-president Hayley Bushell, who spoke about playing in a grand final while being 23 weeks pregnant. Hayley highlighted some of the barriers that they are looking to overcome as a club and facilities is one of them. I appreciate the work this government is doing in addressing the topic. So many of our sports and community facilities are designed with men in mind. The Jets women’s football team talk of in the past having team meetings in a dressing room where the urinals would flush whenever the door opened.
Hayley also spoke about netball uniforms and how some players may not wish to play because they feel uncomfortable in a spandex A-line dress. The Jets are seeking to challenge this. I completely support them in their endeavours. To all the players, families and volunteers who make up this great club, I wish you all the best for the season in 2018. I look forward to joining you in celebrating the community you have built throughout this season.
Light rail—stage 1 construction
MR MILLIGAN (Yerrabi) (4.47): I want to make sure that this government is aware of the very real impact of light rail construction activities in my electorate. I have a background in small business. This was one of my motivators for joining the Legislative Assembly. There is no denying that local businesses throughout Yerrabi are hurting as a direct result of light rail. The impact is real. Business owners are experiencing acute stress from this project.
When I talk about acute stress, I speak from knowledge. Recently Alistair Coe and I held a breakfast in Gungahlin to meet with business owners. Their stories were heartbreaking. The emotions in the room were real and very raw. They spoke of outstanding rent, overdue bills, legal letters of demand, reduced employee shifts, cutting costs, high interest loans, taking on second jobs and even looking at options to sell or close.
These are people who have worked hard to acquire enough capital and have risked it all to open a business, to pursue their dreams, people who provide employment opportunities and take pride in serving their community. They are really hurting. The
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