E&OE....................
Well, I would like, on behalf of the Government and I know on behalf of
everybody here, and my remarks would be supported by the Deputy Leader of
the Opposition, I would like to congratulate you, Vicki, and all the other
members of the team on a truly astonishing performance.
You've achieved a strike rate, I understand, of 70 percent in world championships
since there has been a world championship in netball. I don't know of any
national sporting team for Australia that's done better than that. And to
have maintained, as many of you have participated in maintaining, an absolute
dominance in international netball over the past 10 years is a remarkable
achievement.
We've all read and heard and, more importantly, looked at that nail-biting
finish that we were again reminded of so warmingly a few moments ago in
that video. It's a clich of course but that is the stuff of which magnificently
thrilling international sporting contests are made. The tension was evident
and the sheer exuberance of you, Vicki, your team mates and your coaches
and everybody else associated with the game was very evident. And it's a
remarkable way, may I say, to conclude your own international netball career.
And I do want to say, on behalf of the Government and everybody associated
with the sport, what a tremendous ornament you have been, Vicki, to the
game and the tremendous credit and repute that you have brought to netball
Australia and to the playing of the game in our country.
I know there is always some debate about how many people play what sport
but it's my understanding that there is no sport in Australia that is more
widely played than netball. And it has attracted not only enormously enthusiastic
participation but it is attracting, importantly in this era of fierce international
competition, it is also pleasingly attracting a growing level of sponsorship.
But as always the strength of a sport, whether it's netball or any other
sport that Australians indulge, the strength of a sport depends very heavily
on that network of volunteers at a local level, those mums and dads and
boyfriends and girlfriends and brothers and sisters and friends generally
who year in and year out support in an entirely selfless, voluntary capacity,
the playing of the game. And that has been the story of netball as it has
been the story of so many other sports in the Australian community.
We love our sporting heroes in this country. We love Australia to win. We
love Australians to participate and we always like it when they win in very
exciting circumstances providing, of course, they still just win. And you
demonstrated that quite magnificently in the match against New Zealand.
I'm delighted that we've had this little opportunity on behalf of the Parliament
and the people of Australia to say thank you. I think national achievement
in any endeavour where great credit is brought to Australia should be honoured.
We should take a few moments out from our parliamentary existence and to
simply say thank you to honour the fact that you have demonstrated that
you are the best in the world and that you've demonstrated that in the name
of the entire country. And we're very proud of that and we congratulate
you. We wish you well. And, Vicki, we wish you particular health and happiness
and good fortune in your future. And to all of those associated with the
game, the trainers, the coaches, the administrators, the supporters, the
spectators and the sponsors, we thank them. It's a great celebration and
it's delightful to have you amongst us.
Thank you.
[Ends]