Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was so grateful to attend the Sitzler First Nations netball competition last weekend at the Territory Netball Stadium on Larrakia country in Darwin. It was a great chance to celebrate culture and community through sports, and there's no better sport than netball to bring people together, as the Chief Government Whip and member for Lalor well knows.

In the Northern Territory, our First Nations communities are incredibly well represented in our sporting teams and clubs. The carnival represents a space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and young women to come together from remote communities—Katherine, Central Australia, Darwin and across the country—to play netball and connect with one another. I was particularly happy to see the welcome return of the Mparntwe, or Alice Springs, team to the carnival. Players, coaches and umpires of all ages and at every level of the game came together, and it's easy to see why it has become one of the best events on the Territory netball calendar.

We know the importance of engaging with young people through sport. It helps boost mental, social and physical health. It was great to see local health organisations at the carnival as well, making sure that clubs and players can access support and resources in a culturally safe way.

This year's event was massive, with 20 teams and more than 200 players. From the under-11s to the opens and mixed teams, there was a chance for everyone to get involved and have a go. To see players, coaches and umpires improving their skills in a supportive environment was also encouraging.

The carnival also included a NO MORE round to raise awareness of domestic violence. Players wore orange ribbons and linked arms in the centre of the court before the matches as a visible sign of unity and strength against domestic violence. It was wonderful to have the founder of the NO MORE campaign, Dr Charlie King AM, attending the closing ceremony to present awards for teams and umpires who best embodied the values of respect and fairness.

I also want to acknowledge the donation of sports bras from the Sports Bra Project. These were distributed to all the female players and umpires during the carnival to support women and girls to participate in sports comfortably and confidently. It's one aspect of women's sport that's not often considered as an essential item but makes a real difference for women and girls.

I want to say a big thank you to the entire team at Netball NT. To the CEO, Debra Farrelly, and the chair, Catherine Sansom: thank you for showing me around and organising what was an amazing event. I'm glad it was such a success. I want to acknowledge the important role played by Indigenous women from the Northern Territory netball community Tash Guse and Michelle Kerrin, who emceed the opening and closing ceremonies. The welcome to country, delivered by Larrakia women Taylah Godwin and Paxton Miller, was a meaningful and powerful way to commence the carnival. Thanks also to Indigenous netballers Alicia Hosking and Taylah Godwin, who presented the Rising Star and winning team medallions. To all the participants: I want to thank you—and a big congratulations. It was a fantastic weekend. I'm going to encourage members on my side to come to Darwin, to the Northern Territory, for the 10th anniversary of this carnival. It'd be a fantastic carnival to be part of.

I'm proud to be part of a government which has continually invested in our sports teams, especially for young women and young girls. The $200 million Play Our Way program has helped lift barriers for women's sports. As the Minister for Sport has said before, too often women have to change in men's bathrooms, wear hand-me-down uniforms and play on fields that men wouldn't play on. I'm glad that, with the recent rise of women's sport, our government is acting to make sure that women get the same access to sports and all the benefits that come with it.