Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The Birmingham Commonwealth Games has been not only an extraordinary success for the host city but a great success for Australia as well. Currently, and I do say 'currently' because of the medal tally is going over like an odometer at the moment, we have won, as before QT, 123 medals, including 46 gold. There are joyous stories everywhere we look, and breakout stars announcing themselves on the world stage as well as household names showing their class. There are five days to go but there is lots more for us to look forward to.

I want, on behalf of the parliament and all Australians, to congratulate the competitors and those people behind the scenes too—the dedicated support staff and coaches but also the proud loved ones, the mums and dads who took little Ariarne or other swimmers off to swimming training at 5 am, day after day, to make an enormous difference.

Emma McKeon has become the greatest Commonwealth Games athlete of all time, with a total of 14 gold medals, six of which were won at these games. Jess Stenson triumphed in the women's marathon but soon after embraced her teammates and fellow mums Eloise Wellings and Sinead Diver to share the moment with them. In the T53/54 wheelchair marathon, Maddie de Rozario triumphed again. Ariarne Titmus won gold and set a games record in the 400-metre freestyle. She won the treble—200, 400 and 800. Sprinter Evan O'Hanlon claimed the Australian athletics team's 200th Commonwealth Games gold medal, winning the men's T37/T38 100-metre sprint. Our oldest team member, 63-year-old lawn bowler Cheryl Lindfield, at her first Commonwealth Games, won the silver medal in the para-pairs B6-B8 with partner Serena Bonnell. The men's wheelchair basketball team won gold in the 3x3. Nina Kennedy cleared 4.6 metres to win gold in the women's pole vault. The women's rugby sevens team claimed their first ever Commonwealth Games gold medal, defeating Fiji 22-12. Paralympic swimmer Ellie Cole finished fifth in Birmingham, in her very last event before retirement—a true champion.

In coming days we look forward to the Diamonds, our women cricketers and Peter Bol in the 800-metre final. We look forward to watching these wonderful competitors who—for those who continue in sport over next four years—will be in regional Victoria when regional Victoria hosts the games in 2026. To all involved: well done.

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