Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) | Hansard source

Last week, many of us had the privilege of meeting some remarkable young Australians here in Parliament House: athletes preparing to represent our nation at the upcoming Commonwealth Games. It was a powerful reminder of what Australian sport means to this country. These young men and women have dedicated years of their lives to chasing excellence. They have spent countless early mornings at training, countless afternoons travelling to competitions and countless weekends making sacrifices, while their friends enjoyed the freedoms of adolescent life. They've quietly pursued a dream that one day they might wear the green and gold on the world stage.

That dream begins long before an athlete steps onto an Olympic track or into a World Cup stadium. It begins on the ovals, country football grounds, regional netball courts and local swimming pools. It begins with children lacing up their boots for the very first time. It begins with families volunteering at local sporting clubs and regional clubs. Clubs run on volunteers, and I'd like to thank all of those volunteers. It begins with communities investing in sporting facilities that give young Australians somewhere to train, somewhere to belong and somewhere to dream.

In my electorate of Grey, I see that every single week in the most regional and remote areas of the country. In the regions, local sporting clubs are far more than places to play sport; they are the beating heart of our towns. Even up in the APY Lands, in the remote parts of central Australia, local Indigenous boys and girls drive hours and hours just to play a game of footy. It is truly an incredible sight. Local sporting clubs are where our young people develop confidence, resilience, teamwork and leadership. They are where lifelong friendships are formed and where communities come together.

Whether it's footy, cricket, baseball, netball, hockey or athletics, regional South Australians know the enormous value that sport brings to our communities. Every time Australia competes on the international stage, another generation of young Australians is inspired. When the Socceroos take to the field, children across Australia pull on the green and gold jerseys and imagine that one day that could be them. When our cricketers compete against England in the Ashes test, thousands of young boys and girls head into their own backyards pretending they are batting for Australia. When our Olympians and Paralympians stand proudly on the podium, they inspire countless young Australians to believe that anything is possible through hard work and determination. That inspiration matters.

It is why protecting the integrity of major sporting events matters. It why protecting our official merchandise and intellectual property matters. It's why the parliament established the Major Sporting Events (Indicia and Images) Protection Act back in 2014 under a coalition government. This legislation serves a purpose. It protects the commercial rights associated with major sporting events by preventing the unauthorised production of official material—in simple terms, it helps stop counterfeit merchandise. It protects the legitimate commercial arrangements that underpin these major international sporting events. The coalition supports that objective. Indeed, there is broad bipartisan agreement that these protections are necessary and appropriate.

The question before the House today is not whether those protections should exist—they already do. The real question before the parliament is much narrower. It is about how future sporting events are recognised under the act. Since 2014, every major sporting event covered by this legislation has been recognised through amendments to primary legislation. However, this bill proposes something different. Rather than parliament determining which events receive protection through legislation debated and passed in this place, those decisions would instead be made by the relevant minister through delegated legislation. The government says this will modernise the process. The government says it will create efficiencies, but efficiency alone is not sufficient justification for transferring legislative authority away from the parliament.

Good lawmaking has never been solely about convenience. It has always been about accountability, transparency and ensuring that decisions affecting Australian people receive proper parliamentary scrutiny. The philosophy underpinning our legislative system is straightforward. Matters that establish rights, obligations and legal protections should be contained in primary legislation unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise.

Delegated legislation certainly has an important role to play. It allows technical matters to be updated efficiently. It provides flexibility where circumstances generally—

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