Thank you, Sussan.
Women’s sport does matter and today I’m pleased and proud to say that women’s sport takes centre court here in our national Parliament.
Today we salute our world champion netball team – the Diamonds!
Not only the Commonwealth Games medallists, but World Cup winners thanks to an absolutely thrilling victory over New Zealand.
And that thanks to you – the Diamonds – Australia has now won 11 of 14 netball World Cups.
As your captain, Laura Geitz, said, it is "Bloody sensational".
I have to say that the team showed tremendous character to come back from an early defeat and tremendous grit personified by your vice-captain, Julie Corletto, playing the second half of the final with a broken foot.
And Julie is, as we speak, at the orthopaedic surgeon to get fixed up.
With a million players, netball rivals Australian Rules as our national winter sport.
But, it has remained a grass roots game, without the big licensed clubs, without the massive corporate sponsorships, netballers – even champions – don't play for material reward but for the thrill of competition and the love of being the very best that you can be.
I have to say to our Diamonds today, that we in this Parliament admire you.
We absolutely admire you and we have even, in our own way, tried to emulate you with a team called the Owls – the parliamentary netball team. You may not have heard but they did take on New Zealand. What turned out to be a stacked New Zealand team. You can't trust those Kiwis. It was a New Zealand parliamentary team stacked with Silver Ferns, so if any of you are invited to apply for pre-selection, it is to improve the quality of the Owls around this place.
In the Abbott household, netball is a family passion. My girls played, my wife coached and I cheered.
Yes, Sussan, I have long been a netball dad, but today I am very proud to be a netball Prime Minister.
Well done, Diamonds!
Sporting success does help to lift our national morale and thanks to you our spirits have soared.
[ends]