Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the significant contributions made by the more than 180,000 Australians who participate in a variety of motorsports nationwide, every year;

(2) recognises that motorsports have a substantial impact on the Australian economy, which:

(a) is estimated to be worth as much as $8.6 billion a year;

(b) supports a workforce of over 65,000 people, including:

(i) 46,800 direct and indirect jobs; and

(ii) 18,900 unpaid volunteers and officials; and

(c) in 2019 included almost 10,000 events across Australia, from the Grand Prix to club meets, attracting thousands of competitors and fans, boosting local economies through retail, hospitality, and tourism expenditure; and

(3) supports the ongoing development of motorsports in Australia, particularly at a grassroots level.

Names such as Brabham, Brock, Doohan, Johnson, Lowndes, Maddison, Reid, Webber, Ricardo, Price—these are the legends of Australian motorsport. They have more in common than just their immense driving talent. Their incredible achievements were made possible by the amazing support base that is the Australian motorsports industry, and I'd like to thank that the outset my co-chair, the member for Solomon, and also the other members contributing to this debate, the members for Wide Bay and Herbert and also the members for McEwen and Hasluck.

Motorsport Australia, the peak body for motorsports in the country, estimates that more than 180,000 Australians make a significant contribution to the sport every year. Through the incredibly wide variety of racing styles, categories and competitions, motorsport is deeply ingrained in the Australian sporting landscape. This popularity correlates to almost 47,000 direct and indirect jobs, with almost 19,000 volunteers supporting them, be it as team mechanics, race stewards or race day staff, allowing so many young Australians to get a start in the sport.

From this activity, the economic activity of motorsports cannot be underestimated. It is estimated that motorsports contributes $8.6 billion to the economy every year, and Queensland is home to a significant proportion of this economic import. Forde is home or neighbour to some of the best businesses in the motor racing industry in this country. Dick Johnson Racing, Shell V-Power Racing Team, is the premier Ford Mustang outfit in the Repco Supercars Championship. Based at Stapylton, the legendary team has seen a recent run of race wins and championships under the able leadership of Dr Ryan Story. Now, under Team Principal Ben Croke, the 2023 season is being looked forward to with great relish. Recently they unveiled their new Shell V-Power gen-3 Mustang GT, which will make its debut in the first race of the season, in the streets of Newcastle in March.

In the interest of balance, on the other side of the Ford Holden rivalry is Matt Stone Racing, the truck-assist racing team, competing through a number of categories, including the Supercars Championship, Dunlop Super2 Series V8 and V8 utes. This team is based at Yatala. This year will be historic for the truck-assist racing team and the championship as the Commodore era has ended and we see the replacement of the Commodores with the gen 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which will be driven by drivers Jack Le Brocq and Cameron Hill. I wish both Shell V-Power and the truck-assist racing teams all the best for the 2023 season.

As we look at motorsport more generally, we get caught up in the big end of town—the V8 Supercars, Formula 1 and those sort of events—but it's also important to recognise the local events that occur in our electorates. There are events such as the racing events at the Kingston Park Raceway, which is our premier go-karting facility in the City of Logan and one of the premier facilities in South-East Queensland, and Mount Cotton Hillclimb, a hill climbing circuit run by the MG Car Club of Queensland, just outside of my electorate, in the electorate of Bowman.

Additionally, when we look at the young people and those looking to get a start in motorsports so they can enjoy a day out, there is racing at Slideways Go Karting World, at Pimpama. Groups such as the Gold Coast Motocross Club in Yatala have been providing key developments through coaching, practice and local racing sessions. Interestingly, with many of these clubs we're finding that, as the urban footprint encroaches on those clubs, the ability for them to do what they enjoy doing every day gets more and more difficult.

As we look to the future, we see a landscape changing rapidly across the globe in the motor racing industry. With the uptake of electric vehicles, the grassroots racing landscape will also change dramatically in the coming decade. With new cars entering the market, new racing categories will also present themselves.

I want to thank the member for Solomon as my co-chair as we continue to work with the motor racing industry to look forward to these great opportunities. Whether it is touring cars, open wheels, rally or any of the other competitive motorsports, we look forward to the wonderful work they will continue to do in the years to come.

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