Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The 2026 winter Olympics has come to a close, and the members of team Australia are celebrating our nation's best ever results. Between 2010 and 2022, Australia won three gold medals across three winter games. In Milano Cortina, Australia won three gold medals in three days. It says something about the effort. Friday 13 February, when Josie Baff won snowboarding gold and Scotty James won his third Olympic medal with a silver in the men's half-pipe, is now officially the most successful day in our winter Olympics history. The efforts of every single Australian Olympian are a credit to their extraordinary dedication and drive.

I had the opportunity to have a video call with Alisa Camplin and the winter Olympians as well, who were enjoying their time representing our great nation. Olympians, of course, make incredible sacrifices to pursue their dream, and they don't do it by themselves. They do it with the support of their loved ones and with the support of their family and teammates, but they also do it with the support of Australia.

I spoke with one of our flagbearers, Jakara Anthony, a great product of Barwon Heads in Victoria—not a place you normally associate with the snow and winter sports—who won gold in the dual moguls, the first Australian Olympian to achieve that feat, and Cooper Woods, who secured Australia's first gold of the games in the single moguls, a moment that his teammate Matt Graham celebrated by lifting Cooper onto his shoulders. Matt himself went on to claim bronze in the dual moguls. Many of the athletes I spoke to were among the 32 Australians competing in their first winter Olympics. They stood tall in the global spotlight, and I'm sure they'll be part of future Olympic success for many years to come. This Friday, the winter Paralympics begin, and, on behalf of all Australians, we wish the 14 athletes who will wear the green and gold all the very best.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join the Prime Minister in congratulating the Australian winter Olympics team. The 2026 Milano Cortina games were the most successful winter Olympics ever for our nation, with three golds, two silvers and one bronze, as you've just heard, along with some incredible performances and enormous determination. Amongst those were a number of medallists from the town where I grew up and surrounding towns within the electorate of Eden-Monaro. We've come a long way since that extraordinary performance by Steven Bradbury all those years ago that many of us will remember. What an extraordinary series of performances we've seen at these winter Olympics.

They're amazing athletes, and I congratulate the entire team. Fifty Australians, more than 30 debutants, competed across 11 sports, ably assisted by big support teams, who play an enormously important role. Few Australians have the honour of representing their country at the Olympics, and they are now part of this esteemed pantheon. I wish the winter Paralympics team the very best as they approach their competition in the coming days. On behalf of the federal opposition, I congratulate our 2026 winter Olympics team. Your country is so very proud of you.