Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am going to speak to the Main Committee today about the Manning Memorial Bowling Club, in my electorate of Swan. It is named ‘memorial’ in honour of the many returned soldiers who became members. The club was opened in 1957 and has just celebrated its 50th anniversary. In 1980, the club had one of the largest memberships in Western Australia, with over 600 members. In more recent times the club has made a concerted effort to attract greater numbers of women to the club. This includes promoting weekend events such as pennant competitions for the women members.

It is with this focus in mind that I want to bring a very important event to the attention of members, an event that is not only important to the Manning Memorial Bowling Club as a local organisation in the Swan electorate but also important to both the state of Western Australia and Australia as a nation. This event is the women’s lawn bowls Australian Sides Championships, which has not been held in Western Australia for 15 years. It will be held from 31 March to 3 April 2008 and hosted by the Manning Memorial Bowling Club. The club is expecting an influx of over 140 people on a daily basis to attend the competition, with 96 of these people competing.

Currently the club has five women members who have previously represented Australia in the state team, including Liz West, Helen Morse, Clair Hill, Lee Poletti and Kelli Rae. These women will again be representing the club and Western Australia in the upcoming championships. Kelli Rae became a club member at the tender age of 14, and now at 19 years of age is a brilliant young bowler who also represents Australia in the under-25 international squad. Kelli is the epitome of the club’s renewed focus to promote women’s bowling.

To host these championships, the Manning Memorial Bowling Club has had to significantly upgrade its facilities to cater for such a large number of competitors. With 50 years as an active community club, the task has not been easy and has recently included a complete refurbishment of the existing kitchen facilities. The Howard government, in its wisdom and in its support for community clubs, agreed to fund the upgrade of the kitchen facilities if re-elected at the 2007 election. This commitment was to the tune of $90,000.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don’t knock the women! I am sure there are a lot of women on your side who would be disappointed to hear you say that. As the coalition was not returned at the election, the bowling club has had to borrow the money from the local council, the South Perth City Council. I call on the Rudd government to support this club and this important women’s event in Western Australia by funding the commitment made by the previous government for the benefit of local clubs and women’s sport. I know the government has flagged cost-cutting to smaller sporting clubs in its misguided effort to fight inflation. In the interest of women’s sport in Australia, it is imperative that clubs like the Manning Memorial Bowling Club receive support from government so that all clubs in Australia can confidently go out and pursue events like this. (Time expired)