Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night, I had a cultural experience. As a Victorian who knows nothing about rugby league, I got to sit there and learn a little bit.

Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Rugby football!

Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Rugby football! I was told by my senior policy advisor—as a Queenslander—that I should back the Maroons, which I did. It just goes to show that you should not always listen to those who are advising you. You should trust your own judgement.

In the spirit of sport and what is great about the electorate of Mallee, we actually have an NRL league and an NRL game this coming Saturday in Mildura, believe it or not. NRL is crossing the border. What is important about it is that it is a State of Mind event. The NRL is using sport to address people's mental health—to say to blokes, particularly, that if you have a problem you can talk to other blokes. We have a headspace for youth mental health going to be represented there. The Men's Behaviour Change will be there. The Mallee District Aboriginal Services will be there. The Mallee District Domestic Violence Services will be there. Men's Sheds, the Mildura Base Hospital, the community health facility and the Sunraysia multicultural ethnic community will be there. So it is sport doing some good things.

But that is not all. There are other exciting things happening in the electorate of Mallee. Down at Nhill is the Military Vehicle Rendezvous. Nhill was a staging ground for the bombing training for Second World War aviation. They are restoring an Avro Anson aircraft there. They are also fundraising to buy a Wirraway fighter plane. It is just a classic example of how there is always stuff going on in the electorate of Mallee.

On the following weekend, before I come back here, I get to open the redevelopment of the Mildura Recreation Reserve, which is for AFL football. Now, there is a code that we can all believe in! Of course, AFL football, as we know, requires skill, which is in contrast to the game we saw last night. Ping-pong! You have to be able to run, kick, dodge, handpass and catch in AFL, as opposed to just run into other blokes like in an NRL game. I will be opening the Mildura Recreation Reserve, with the redevelopment at a total cost of $1.44 million. A bit over $800,000 of that came from the Nationals' Building Better Regions Fund. What is also special about this is we have upgraded not only the footy ground but also the change rooms for the girls for their netball and the netball courts. If there is one thing that is important, it is we have to get more people more active more often. That is what we are really focused on—getting our young people involved in sport.

But it goes on, Mr Deputy Speaker Coulton. I know you had the privilege of coming to Mildura recently. I get to open on Saturday 10 June the Mildura Rowing Club. This is where we are getting more people more active more often—rowing. This rowing club is part of the $18 million Mildura waterfront development. Those who have the opportunity to come to Mildura now can eat the fine food in the restaurant and then walk down to the river. There are exercise and walking facilities on that riverfront. There is also a rowing club with brand-new facilities. So people will be able to do their rowing on the Murray River.

Not only is rowing important; something else is very important in the electorate of Mallee. And that is coffee. Mildura was the first city outside of Melbourne to have its own barista. People do not realise that. We have a strong Italian community. Part of the Mildura Rowing Club is a brand-new restaurant that will be serving coffee down by the river.

So I just want to re-cap for you: it is all happening in my patch. We have NRL, which is a game, as I say, that requires very little skill, but it is there. We have aviation heritage and military vehicle rendezvous. We have AFL grounds being upgraded and opened. We have netball clubs and rowing clubs. Finally, we have coffee. So isn't it a fantastic place to be. The weather will be great.

Trent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And they've got you!

Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And we've got me! I can only concur with that. Sometimes wise words come out of the Liberal Party! So if you have nothing to do on the long weekend coming up in June, come up to the electorate of Mallee and enjoy all the wonderful sporting facilities, the weather and, of course, the coffee. We will welcome you. You will have a wonderful time, I can guarantee it.