Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to congratulate the members and delegates of the Maritime Union of Australia for holding the third annual War on the Wharves on 9 April at Souths Juniors in my electorate. The War on the Wharves is an annual boxing tournament in which Aussie wharfies take on their New Zealand counterparts in 10 bouts over three rounds across various weight divisions, to raise money for the Sydney Children's Hospital. This year the event raised $40,000 for much-needed equipment at the hospital. This is the third time that the War on the Wharves event has been run and in total, over three years, the event has raised $140,000 for Sydney Children's Hospital.

I am happy to say our Aussie pugilists got the better of their Kiwi brothers, winning most of the bouts on the night—although the score was not kept. There was much goodwill and the bouts were well supervised by the doctor, under amateur rules. I congratulate the Maritime Union of New Zealand for supporting the event. Many of their members flew over to support their comrades and raise money for a great organisation in our community. The event was completely organised and run by the rank-and-file members of the Maritime Union of Australia. They put in a lot of work. I congratulate the MUA and the Maritime Union of New Zealand.