Page 4189 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 24 October 2018
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hockey, ANU women’s hockey, ANU women’s soccer, ANU touch rugby, inner north netball and CNBC women’s lawn bowls.
I also mention the Tuggeranong Vikings who are great supporters of women’s sport in the Tuggeranong area, such as the Tuggeranong Valley women’s cricket, Southern Canberra Gymnastics Club, Tuggeranong Vikings Hockey Club, the Pines Tennis Club, Tuggeranong Vikings Water Polo Club and Vikings Rugby, who won the women’s Rugby competition in Canberra this year.
Ms Cody’s motion refers to helping develop female change facilities and highlights the government’s contribution to this space, for example, $8,400 in 2018 to one club, Capital Football, for change rooms at Hawker. That does not actually appear to be a massive commitment, but I understand and agree that the lack of suitable changing facilities can be a barrier or a deterrent to girls and women participating in sport. It is something that needs to be addressed.
We can look at other jurisdictions for examples of what they are doing to encourage women in sport. New South Wales has a women in sport strategy targeted at increasing leadership roles for women in sporting associations and organisations. Queensland has a program called “get in the game” with a specific grant program for female facilities. It is not just new facilities; it is also for retrofitting older facilities and upgrading clubrooms and change rooms where needed. They also have a program called “get out, get active” to target women who are currently not involved in sport and recreation and to make activities affordable.
Western Australia has programs focused on scholarships to provide pathways and leadership development programs to build capability and to promote female talent. Victoria has established an Office for Women in Sport and Recreation. Again, it has a focus on leadership and increasing board representation and leadership roles as well as accessing public resources and focusing on female-friendly facilities and issues around body image.
Women’s sport is the fastest growing area for many codes. Big name sponsors are starting to come on board and media networks are also recognising the growing interest in these games. These changes are happening but they are slow. We need to see greater equality in women’s sport in the payment of athletes and in sponsorship. We can look to some of our female athletes from Australia who have dominated the world stage: The Diamonds, the Opals, the Jillaroos, the Matildas, the Hockeyroos, the Breakers and our Olympic Rugby sevens. Despite their phenomenal success and some progress at the elite level, the funding and the monetary payment is not at the same rate as for men.
At the local sport level, they need support, funding, better facilities and proper maintenance. They need help to take their athletes and their leadership team to the next level with clear pathways and development opportunities. We need support for kids to play sport and, if they excel at it, to travel interstate or overseas to compete and strive to join professional leagues. We need support to train at world-class venues and support to elevate female leadership across all codes and all sports.
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