House debates

Wednesday, 26 February 2020

Statements by Members

Fairfax Electorate: Local Sporting Champions

1:50 pm

Photo of Ted O'BrienTed O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Everybody in this parliament knows that I represent the most important electorate in the country. But there's a hidden secret they don't know about.

Photo of Tony PasinTony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Such a modest member, by the way!

Photo of Ted O'BrienTed O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

It is not my modesty, but it is true. We are also the greatest sporting region in the country. If the Sunshine Coast had represented themselves as a country at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, they would have come fifth. 'How do we do it,' you ask? Well, we do it by supporting young athletes at the grassroots level.

Thanks to the Morrison government, we have the Local Sporting Champions program. It is a grants scheme. It's open to anyone between the ages of 12 and 18. The government pays up to $750 to help young athletes compete at state, national or international competitions, and it's that sort of support that makes Australian sportspeople great. It all starts at the grassroots. It starts with the government doing its bit. And it starts with us knowing that our local communities can make it work—not just in our streets or in our paddocks, but out where they can actually earn the medals, and that's where the country also gains. So, God bless the Sunny Coast and God bless sport.