Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate two outstanding Territorians who I have mentioned in this place before. Des Abbott and Joel Carroll were today named in the Australian Kookaburras hockey team going to the 2012 Olympics. These two Darwin athletes are cousins and are fantastic Indigenous ambassadors. They are fantastic sports ambassadors for all Australians. This is an outstanding achievement for the Northern Territory as it will be the first time ever that two Northern Territorians compete together on the same team at the Olympic Games.

Des and Joel are cousins who have played together before at the national level. Most notably, they both played in the 2010 men's hockey Champion Trophy where they won gold. Des and Joel also won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. They have a good track record.

This is not the first Olympic Games for Des. In 2008, he went to Beijing with the Kookaburras where they won a bronze medal. I know everyone in the Territory and around the nation will be watching the 2012 London Olympic Games very closely—even more so now that we have some home-grown talent on the world stage. It is great to know that the Kookaburras are going to the Olympics as the gold medal favourites. On behalf of all Territorians and the coalition I wish Joel and Des the very best of luck at the Olympics. We look forward to them bringing home the gold.