Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Matildas have become more than just a football team to all Australians. Not only are they role models for young women across our nation; they are proof that investment in women's sport pays dividends, not only in trophies but in national pride and the progress of women's rights.

The AFC Women's Asian Cup, which is on right now in Australia, brings together the very best of talent from across our region. It's a competition that demonstrates skill, speed and tactical brilliance, and it is also a competition that celebrates women's sport in nations where opportunities for female athletes continue to grow stronger every single year. The first AFC women's cup was held in 1975 in Hong Kong. It has become known as one of the oldest international women's football tournaments in the world. What started as six teams in that first tournament has grown to a competition double that size, with Asia's best players battling it out on the soccer pitch for continental glory.

For our Matildas, though, we must always remind ourselves that their success was no accident. We know that, like all athletes, their success is a combination of incredibly hard work from these players; dedicated coaching staff; backing from Football Australia; continual support from families and volunteers; the support of fans, from right around this country; and, of course, a little bit of support from our government as well. Their success represents the long fight that many women in sport have faced and continue to face: the struggle to receive recognition, resources and respect. However, today, the Matildas are filling stadiums and breaking records. And they will fill another stadium tomorrow night, when they take on Iran. The last time the Matildas played their semifinal here in Australia, the game drew over 11 million followers and gripped the hearts of Australians. And this one, this tournament, will be one for the books.

What we see continually from these players and from this competition is that sport is not simply entertainment; it is nation-building. The women's Asian cup proves that, when women are given the opportunity, they do not simply participate; they excel. So to the athletes competing in this remarkable tournament: please know that you are not just representing your countries; you are shaping the future of sport in Asia.

And what's so special about this tournament is that this is a chance for the Matildas to win a gold on home soil. The last time the Matildas won this competition was in 2010, and one player still remains from that squad. Sam Kerr was part of the winning squad back in 2010, and hopefully she will be winning again here in Australia.

But one of the things I wanted to point out to the Senate, as I finish off this contribution, is that one of the very special parts of this football family that we've managed to build here in Australia is that another person who was part of that 2010 squad, one of the champion Matildas team, is Sarah Walsh. Now Sarah Walsh isn't playing side by side with Sam Kerr. She's the tournament director. So we've got a Matilda from that 2010 squad currently playing, who scored the winning goal against the Philippines the other night, and we've got a Matilda from that squad who is literally running the tournament. That just doesn't happen in women's sport. It happens in men's sport. But we know that these pathways to careers after athletes finish up are also so important. I am so proud of what the Matildas have done for women in this country. They have fought for equal pay and they have made sure that everyone in this country will pay attention to what they do on the field tomorrow night.

In closing, can I just say: President, thank you for the small infraction on the Senate's rules around wardrobe. This is the first time I've had permission, slightly, to wear my Matildas shirt in the chamber tonight. I know that it's not allowed, but thank you for turning a blind eye.

I want everyone in Australia to put on your Matildas jersey tomorrow and cheer on Sam Kerr and our girls, because it's the young girls that will be watching on and seeing what these girls do who will be inspired to pick up their football boots and will know that, if you play hard and you work hard, you can achieve almost the impossible—winning the Asian women's cup.