Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to rise today to talk about some of the great young sporting people in my electorate. I believe it is really important that we support our young people in their sporting ambitions and celebrate their wonderful achievements. I was very pleased that the federal government has continued to commit and increase money towards the Local Sporting Champions program. In the most recent round I was able to award 10 sports men and women from my local community with grants of $500. I was also able to provide two teams with a grant of $3,000. We all know that participating in national sporting competitions can be very costly. Whether it is rugby, netball, wrestling or gymnastics, teams and individuals can often face considerable ongoing costs for things like uniforms, equipment and travel. So it was very heartening to see what these talented young people do. They often work and also try to balance school and their sporting achievements. I think it is very important that in a small way the federal government can assist these young people to actually go and follow their dreams.

For the most recent Local Sporting Champions round, I held a ceremony to acknowledge the achievements of these local sporting champions. The enthusiasm, excitement, commitment and ability of these young people was on display, as it was from their parents. We heard stories about parents driving perhaps three hours a night after school to take their son or daughter to sport. I would just like to congratulate all of the recipients in this most recent round. Brittany Law received a grant for competing in rhythmic gymnastics. Cara Allen received a grant for junior indoor cricket. Kizzy Grice received a grant for her role in football. Ella Quinn received a grant in connection with her achievements in netball. Alyce Skeates and Katrina Norwood both got grants to assist them with the Australian Figure Skating Championships. Brandon Whiley received a grant for participating in the under-18 national championship in bowls. Some of his team members, who are considerably older than him, came to celebrate that achievement, which was really lovely. Madison Murray received a grant for individual figure skating. Brayden Davidson received a grant in connection with the national championship in athletics. Sam Chalmers received a grant for participating in the Australian All School Championships in athletics. Codey Ellison received a grant for competing in basketball. The Visual Energy and Southern Tigers basketball team both received one as well. (Time expired)