Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Hansard source

As I said, this is a decision for the state government. I know that Senator Ruston is inviting me to walk down Scott Morrison's path, which is always have a go at a state government, have a fight with a state government. Obviously, the blame games that we saw were so much a part of the cabinet of which Senator Ruston was a part. But I would acknowledge that this is disappointing news. We have acknowledged that. It's disappointing for athletes, it's disappointing for coaches and it's disappointing for sports fans in Australia. I would make the point also that sport is bigger than any one event, and athletes should have the opportunity to compete at home and abroad. What I also would say is, despite that disappointment, the reasons for the decision have been articulated by the Andrews government. If the senator has issues with that, obviously she is free to contest those in a public arena.