Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it's that we are using and appreciating facilities in our local neighbourhoods more now than ever before. With that, we as a government are cognisant of the need to invest more in our communities. This includes improving our local sporting amenities that help keep us safe and connected. Malvern East is in my electorate and soon to be home of the biggest-ever investment in sporting infrastructure, with the highly anticipated Percy Treyvaud Memorial Park redevelopment finally underway.

I was proud to attend the site of the new development with the mayor of the City of Stonnington, Councillor Jami Klisaris; the CEO, Jacqui Weatherill; and the president of the Stonnington City Netball Association, Kate Campbell, for the official sod turning to mark the momentous occasion. We did throw dirt in the air and the cameraman asked us to throw it at their camera! So we have a cameraman covered with dirt as a result, but hopefully the camera is okay. This marks the commencement of works made possible by $4 million in the federal government contribution, helping turn this dream in my community into a reality.

As a mother of four kids who have all played sport locally, I understand the importance of these new courts for our community. This is particularly because there are a record number of women playing sport in Higgins. Recent data shows that of 2,785 registered netball players living in Higgins, 1,656 are forced to play outside their local area due to a significant lack of suitable facilities. I have lived that myself. Clubs, including the Malvern Netball Club, Sacre Coeur Netball Club and other local schools in Higgins, are travelling far to participate in community sport.

The Morrison government is proud of the huge intake in women's participation in sport, which has increased substantially in the past decade. But with this growth in female participation comes a need for new, modern, safe and inclusive sporting facilities to meet the demand. The Percy Treyvaud Memorial Park will be home to four indoor sports courts for basketball and netball, spectator seating for each court, scorer and team benches, new offices, accessible change rooms and a first-aid room. Further, the local Chadstone Bowls Club will also get a stunning new eight-rink synthetic bowling green and lighting for night-time bowling.

The Morrison government is transforming a community asset, nearing the end of its useful life, into a community facility that's contemporary and which will be used and enjoyed by so many clubs. I'm proud of this investment in Higgins and look forward to meeting the next Ash Barty on the tennis courts in early 2024, when they come online. This is a good day for sports in Higgins.