Sports and Entertainment Trust Bill 2025
Second reading
Resumed from 3 December.
Ms Cassie Rowe (Belmont—Parliamentary Secretary) (11:20 am): It is really great to continue my contribution to the Sports and Entertainment Trust Bill 2025 today. I want to reiterate some of the points that I made yesterday on this bill and why it is important that we are dealing with it today. One of the things that I spoke about yesterday, which is something that I have been passionate about for a really long time, is female participation in sport at every level, particularly grassroots sport. In 2017 I became aware of the disturbing fact that female participation in sport falls off a cliff once girls reach their teenage years.
(Member's time extended.)
Ms Cassie Rowe: When I stumbled across that information, it really concerned me, so since that time I have been advocating for greater work to be done to intervene and change that trajectory, where levers are available at a government level. This is for not only the health benefits that we all know, but also the mental health benefits. It is also from an equality point of view. What I touched on yesterday that I would like to reiterate is the interesting report that was conducted by Flinders University in South Australia. Through its research, it discovered that women, when compared with their male cohort, were under-represented in organised sport as participants, coaches, officials, administrators and at a board and executive level as well. That is quite disturbing; it is actually at every level, not just those who we see on and off the field playing and participating in sports. I think there is a lot of work to be done culturally across the whole community. That was very interesting.
The data from the Flinders research report indicated a dropout rate of around 60% of girls aged 15 and older in Australia. That rate is huge compared with that of their male counterparts in terms of participating in organised sport, but a very limited amount of research had been conducted into the reasons and factors that were contributing to this enormous dropout rate of girls' participation in organised sport. Flinders University decided to look into this. It was very interesting. Contributing to the dropout rate were factors like low confidence; societal pressure, which was interesting; body image concerns; and a lack of understanding regarding the impacts of menstrual cycle on sports participation. That was also interesting. It also identified that prevalent gender stereotypes often discourage girls from pursuing traditional masculine sports, which led to further disengagement.
When we look at the professional level of sport, we see that was reiterated in research conducted by Deakin University. It found that an overwhelming majority of nine in 10 women who compete in elite sports confirmed that they have experienced some form of gendered online harm, including 87% just in the past year. That is extraordinary. Trolling, and the ongoing and targeted nature of it, was particularly harmful to their wellbeing. I will quote from this article:
Felicity Goodwin, who played elite-level rugby union, says she experienced both blatant sexism, and more insidious attempts to make her feel unwelcome.
"There were the stereotypical comments of 'get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich," she says.
"But there were also ones like 'oh, so you like the Wallabies? Tell me the top try scorers for the last few seasons, or the last three winners of the John Eales medal.' I can do that — but why should I have to?
"The problem was just the fact that I was female, and I had the nerve to be in that space."
It is quite confronting to read in 2025 that this is still part of the conversation happening at an elite level. I think that when we go back to the Flinders University research, that shows there is a systemic problem because there is such a lack of gender diversity represented at every level. It is very clear to me that there is a lot of room for cultural change in our sporting clubs at every level. Potentially at a grassroots level and certainly at semi-elite and elite levels there is a lot of room for improvement. The Deakin study found that 85% of those elite and semi-elite athletes it spoke with said wellbeing had been affected by online harm, and that two in three of those female athletes felt unsafe. That is just not acceptable. The associate professor who was involved in this study said:
They recognised a vicious cycle where their sports weren't getting enough visibility, but when they attempted to put themselves out there — to promote themselves and their activities — they received abuse.
No wonder that women are not inclined to pursue a career in professional sport at the same rate as men. On that note, I would like to reference former English test cricketer Isa Guha—clearly I am not very au fait with sport; I believe she is quite famous. The quote that I thought summed this up is:
… boys need to compete to feel they belong, but girls need to feel like they belong before they can be competitive …
I think that that speaks to a really astute insight of hers and potentially the difference between the genders in how they engage in sport. Perhaps that is something that we need to take note of when we talk about participation. I am really proud of everything that our government is doing in infrastructure. A huge amount of capital works has gone on. Certainly since I have been a member and Labor has been in government we have rolled out so many programs to ensure that sports participation is a possibility for girls. Participation is certainly encouraged by a rollout of change room upgrades to ensure that girls now have a safe and dedicated space to change and get ready for their sports.
I want to also highlight that it is not just females who are excluded or experience barriers to entry when it comes to participating in sport at all levels; it is also people living with disability. I want to again touch on a report by Disability Sports Australia that I spoke about yesterday. It is worth noting that one in five Australians live with disability—one in five is a significant number—but they often miss out on opportunities to participate in sport, and they should not. They are missing out on that critical opportunity to connect with community, engage in healthy activities and feel confident about their abilities. They have every right to do that, yet only 25% of Australians with disability take part in sport of physical activity once a week.
Compared with people without disability, people with disability are 60% less likely, as a result of what I have just said, to meet the national physical activity guidelines. I happened to be reading ABC online news last night and, to reiterate this point, I came across an article that said that three in four children with autism spectrum disorder want to play sport but are not able to due to the avoidable barriers that stand in their way. Some of the common barriers that autistic people face in sport and physical activity include fast-paced or unpredictable environments that can be hard for them to process, rigid structures and inflexible rules, a lack of autism-informed coaching and understanding of their needs and competition-focused programs with limited alternatives. A big factor for a lot of children, especially those who are autistic, is the sensory discomfort that comes with uniforms and equipment, which can be a real barrier to their participation. They also experience anxiety and feel overwhelmed with performance pressure; that is, are they going to be able to catch the ball if they are paying basketball or hit a tennis ball that is coming towards them from across the court? They also struggle with social communication differences and being able to pick up on team dynamics, social cues and different instruction styles. They often need explicit instructions.
Autism is such a misunderstood disability. It is often an invisible disability and because of that lack of understanding—especially by coaches at grassroots level clubs, as indicated by this report—they feel excluded and discriminated against by their peers and coaches. I just wanted to highlight that because it came to my attention last night. I think that is something that could easily be rectified with additional training and a deeper understanding and willingness to provide an inclusive and safe place for people with disability to be able to engage in sport. The reason all this is important is, as I said yesterday, sport is part of the fabric of our culture in Australia. I obviously have no sporting talent, but I can appreciate how vital it is, particularly for young people, to feel connectedness with a community or club and feel a deep sense of pride in being part of something, in achieving something and in being able to build a skill.
Importantly, as I touched on yesterday, there are so many reports around mental health issues. I mentioned yesterday that in a recent Ending Loneliness Together report, 39% of children between 12 and 17 years of age identified mental health as their second biggest concern. A critical factor in addressing mental health is connecting people, and physical activity is a big part of that. I very much see the benefit of sport; it plays a critical role in our community, whether it be for young people, adults or seniors. I absolutely commend the bill to the house.
Mr Yaz Mubarakai (Oakford—Parliamentary Secretary) (11:33 am): I will start by commending the member for Belmont for providing her insights in her contribution, especially about sport, women in sport and athletes with disabilities who want to take on their sporting ambitions in an atmosphere in which equality and diversity is well represented. The Cook Labor government takes an immense amount of pride in making sure there is diversity and equality for sportspeople and that individuals get the platform they require, all the way from their local sporting associations to professional sporting tournaments, whether they be state, national or international events. We absolutely stand behind them 100%.
I stand today to make a brief contribution on the Sports and Entertainment Trust Bill 2025, which will provide the right foresight and a very strong strategic reset in giving VenuesWest the tools to govern with accountability and to manage our venues, which, as they have truly demonstrated, are the engines of tourism, social and community benefits to this amazing state that we call home. This bill will provide long-overdue modernisation and definitely help the way in which Western Australia governs and optimises its most important sports and entertainment precincts. These assets unite our communities and attract visitors from across Australia and the world and inject, with a ripple effect, hundreds of millions of dollars into our state's economy. They also give the state the ability to compete in the global events marketplace and bring international gigs to our doorstep.
Western Australia is the fastest growing state in the country. Suburbs in Perth's southern corridor, especially in my electorate of Oakford, have reaped the benefit of the strong rapid growth in the number of migrants who call Western Australia home. I can feel that effect in the communities in my electorate. The high incidence of migrants coming to Western Australia has meant that we have been rushed to build more homes and accommodate more transport solutions for the families who choose to live in this amazing state of ours. It is eminently clear that every single individual who lives in our state seeks quality opportunities in not only their work, but also their lifestyle. A state with a growing population also needs to deliver vibrant recreational and entertainment precincts. I can clearly identify that this bill will increase the powers and flexibility of VenuesWest in delivering on these outcomes.
The Sports and Entertainment Trust Bill will allow VenuesWest to act in the space of being commercially driven in its retail promotional activities and in the way it manages its precincts and optimises outcomes. As I mentioned earlier, most of the places we identify as sporting venues are a massive drawcard for the state. The bill will increase VenuesWest's potential to deliver on its expertise and existing business relationships. It will not only allow VenuesWest to maximise its presence within the 14 venues under its control, but also expand and cross over to other venues in our beautiful state. From my personal experience, I can tell members this. As a young, fresh-faced man in my first year out of university, I worked in the public relations department of MTV in India. I understand the importance of entertainment, venues and activating precincts. It is no small task. A lot of work goes into delivering those amazing activities of which community members are the beneficiaries. This bill, which I am absolutely chuffed about, will remove a lot of the barriers that have existed in the current framework without being modernised in more 40 years. As I said, I anticipate that this bill will make changes that will help to create numerous varied events that will contribute to the vibrancy of our communities for both residents and the tourists who visit our state especially for these events, as identified by other members who have made contributions to this debate.
I was a beneficiary of being able to take my daughter to one of the two Coldplay concerts that were exclusive to Western Australia. Every single person who experienced the magic of Coldplay over those two days would say that we were extremely lucky to have the exclusive right to have Coldplay perform right here at Perth's Optus Stadium. We were the envy of all other states at that time. That event contributed about $43 million over that weekend. The WWE Elimination Chamber event contributed a further $36.2 million, and the FIFA Women's World Cup contributed around a quarter of a million dollars. In 2024 alone, the state was a beneficiary of close to $300 million from events. The track record of VenuesWest venues being able to attract international events is clear. Those events have a ripple effect on our hotels, restaurants and small businesses across our cities and regions, with hotels achieving a staggering occupancy rate of up to 90% not just on the night of the events, but also across the days before and after.
I will outline for members in this chamber the recent Ashes test event in Perth a couple of weeks ago. It was an absolute sellout. It was sad that the test match lasted only two days, but it was one of the most exciting test matches of my 50-year career as an avid cricketer! Optus Stadium was completely sold out, but what was even more staggering was that while we were watching the Poms getting absolutely smashed—I sadly have to point that out—the people who were present at the stadium were talking about how amazing it was to be in Perth when the hotels, the landscapes and the streets around Perth city were absolutely buzzing with tourists from interstate or overseas. That level of vibrancy is not a tangible asset that can be purchased, other than by attracting international events to our beautiful state.
At the heart of this bill is very strategic stewardship that will basically give our state, through those venues, massive financial, social and tourism returns. Can members imagine what would happen if VenuesWest were to create a further three to five premium weekend events a year? The statistics show that this could have an incremental dividend to the state to the tune of between $50 million and $100 million. That would again translates to jobs, tax revenue and repeat visitations. Most importantly, it would build on Western Australia's reputation as a must-visit destination for events.
This bill is not just about Optus Stadium and RAC Arena; it is about every community that benefits from these world-class sporting and entertainment events. I will provide the house with some clarity on how this bill will have an impact on my community, using the example of the recent announcement of the Armadale regional sporting complex. Under the old act, VenuesWest would have a limited ability to activate this promising new facility for major events. Under the new framework, the minister will be able to declare it a temporary venue, enabling the Armadale regional sporting complex to host elite preseason camps, regional tournaments and community facilities. This would mean that Armadale could now be a hub for grassroots and professional sports, activating visitors, creating more jobs and showcasing regional hospitality and culture in the area. This is clearly a perfect example of how this bill will spread economic and social benefits beyond the CBD and into our suburbs and regions. Along with the members for Armadale and Darling Range, it was an absolute pleasure to be present as part of the Cook Labor government's announcement of the $20 million commitment to the Armadale regional sporting complex. I believe that this facility will provide about 20 outdoor and eight indoor hardcourts for netball and basketball games. Obviously, it will have additional facilities like function centres and allied health services, absolutely complementing our communities at large, but, as we know, there is a massive shortfall in the availability of hardcourt facilities in our neighbourhood in the south-eastern corridor for residents in the City of Armadale. This facility will have a ripple effect on the participation of families and young people in the sports of netball and basketball. In a few years from now, with the help of this bill, the Armadale regional recreational facility could perhaps collaborate with VenuesWest to host some interstate or even international competitions for these sports.
Sporting clubs are a vital aspect of our social fabric. They give people of all ages a shared activity to bond over and a reason to get involved with the local community. It is always my pleasure to visit my local community clubs and see people building lifelong friendships and improving their mental and physical health. In order to keep these venues in good nick, I have been extremely proud, as part of the Cook Labor government, to make election commitments to many of these clubs, including $30,000 to the Forestdale Sporting Association for a multi-sport electronic scoreboard. Tonight, I will join the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Forestdale Sporting Association, which addresses many sporting groups, such as the darts group, the pool club and the cricket and footy clubs, which are the natural custodians of that club. It is a very important part of the social fabric of my electorate of Oakford, and I truly look forward to the celebrations. I congratulate the many volunteers, whose combined efforts have kept that legacy going and vibrancy in our community over the 40 years. I thank them all for the effort they have put in at Forestdale Sporting Association.
We have also been able to contribute $25,000 to a very newly growing sport called kabaddi. The Gladiator Sports and Cultural Kabaddi Club has received that $25,000.
Mr Hugh Jones: Kabaddi, kabaddi.
Mr Yaz Mubarakai: Kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi—that is how they say it, member for Darling Range. I am quite glad to say that that commitment will go towards audiovisual equipment. As the member knows, it is a very large sport and the club will no longer have to hire equipment for that event. Moving forward, it will be able to save on the cost of hiring expensive equipment for those events. Along with the members for Darling Range and Armadale, we have been able to support air conditioning and fencing upgrades for the Armadale Soccer Club; $12,500 for Arks Rugby Union Football Club for a marquee and sporting equipment; and, most importantly, $300,000 for storage and lighting upgrades at Piara Waters Pavilion, which will go towards supporting all four associations, from footy to cricket, and from juniors all the way up to the seniors, for men, women, boys and girls. I am really proud of those commitments because I know the additional equipment and support will have a massive impact on usage of the ovals.
In conclusion, the Sports and Entertainment Trust Bill 2025 is more than a legislation refresh; as I said before, it is a strategic reset from a custodial, constrained structure to a modern performance-driven trust capable of innovating, partnering and delivering for Western Australia. It was a real fight for us.
I commend the bill to the house.
Mr Hugh Jones (Darling Range) (11:50 am): I rise to speak to the Sports and Entertainment Trust Bill 2025. It is a pleasure to follow the member for Oakford. We all know how important sport is. It is not necessarily about fostering elite athletes; it is about inclusion, participation and mental health. There are a whole bunch of aspects that sport provides. During the period of 16 Days in WA and with yesterday having been International Day for People with Disability, it is so important to provide inclusive clubs for people to go along to because that goes a long way towards creating the social cohesion we all desire. It is also very important for children, who are often isolated through their use of social media, playing online games and other things, to engage with adults who model the right behaviour in the right environment. I urge clubs to always examine their own culture to make sure that women, children and people with disabilities feel included.
As a result, with an emphasis on sport, I, too, made a few commitments during the last election campaign. A major one of $10 million was to the Serpentine Jarrahdale Community Recreation Centre, ostensibly to expand access to basketball. I will talk a bit more about that later. There was a number of small commitments. The member for Oakford mentioned a few of the shared ones, but within my electorate solely, $50,000 was put towards the basketball court at Byford and Districts Country Club. I was up there the other day. It has received the money and is now going through the process of getting shire approval. There was a $20,000 commitment to Byford BMX Club for a starting gate. I was glad to go there two or three weeks ago for the club's first use of that automatic gate. Racers line up at the start, there is a sequence of lights and some vocal prompts, and then the gate comes down and off they go. The previous gate was a bit faulty and there had been incidents of kids going head over heels whilst waiting to start. In addition, $5,000 went to Byford Bowling Club for equipment; $10,000 to Byford Bushrangers T-ball; $5,000 to Byford Little Athletics Club; and $25,000 to Darling Downs equestrian park for signage. Providing signage is an important innovation by the Darling Downs Residents Association. Members may be familiar with the signage on beaches that provides first responders with identifiable spots to go to. They are doing a similar thing in the equestrian park so that when someone has an incident, falls off their horse and gets injured, they can be found.
There was a commitment of $20,000 to the Dirt Trackers Kart Club for a shelter; $10,000 to Mundijong Centrals Junior Football Club and $20,000 to the seniors for a new cool room. One of the larger commitments I made was $100,000 to the Roleystone Club towards a synthetic bowling green. I am advised that there may possibly be a request for a change of scope for that project, so we are meeting to discuss that next week. There was $10,000 to Roleystone Junior Football Club; $10,000 to Roleystone Netball Club; $20,000 to Roleystone Senior Football Club to go towards upgrading its kitchen; $10,000 to Roleystone Karragullen Cricket Club; $20,000 to Serpentine and Districts Golf Club for irrigation; $65,000 to Serpentine Jarrahdale Adult Riders Club for storage; and $10,000 to the SJ Blues Cricket Club.
Various grants were awarded and programs held throughout the 2023–24 financial period. The Hiking Participation Grants Program delivered $25,000 for the Six Seasons trail project in the City of Armadale. There was $69,000 for WA Cricket through the inclusive participation program to deliver cricket to culturally and linguistically diverse communities in the City of Armadale. The Every Club program delivered $30,000 in the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale and, similarly, $34,600 in the City of Rockingham. I have a slice of the City of Rockingham. I will claim that! There was $5,000 through the Active Regional Communities grants to deliver Hiking for Confidence at Jarrahdale Oval as part of the trails head design project and $50,000 through Community Trail Planning in the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale. Of course, everyone will be great fans of KidSport. In 2023–24, 4,601 vouchers to the value of $921,000 were accessed by people in the electorate, supporting 3,758 children from low-income families to participate in community sport.
I want to give a few shout-outs to young athletes in my electorate. Young Jordan Roberts is a bit of a karate guru. Members may have seen a video of him on my Facebook, because everyone looks there, kicking a pillow out of my hands. It is pretty impressive. He attended the GKR Karate Australian National Championships in Melbourne in November. He was selected to go there after winning the state kata championship. He performed exceptionally well in the competition, achieving third place out of 41 competitors in his division for the kumite, coming home with a bronze medal. He narrowly missed out on a second medal for his kata, achieving fourth place out of 41. He hopes to travel to England for the World Cup in July.
Madison White started playing T-ball and baseball with the Byford Bushrangers and now plays for the Braves. In July, she was selected to join Australia's first ever all-girl national baseball team at the 2025 Baseball for All Nationals in Nevada, USA. More than 500 young women from 50 baseball teams representing 35 US states and three countries competed at the event.
Amelia Oliveira plays basketball and netball. She represents Byford Secondary College in netball and is a member of the Western Australian Basketball League team the Rockingham Flames. Amelia was selected to represent the Dolphins Basketball Club at the Asia Pacific Cup in Singapore in October.
I have mentioned Ben and Jack Walling a few times in this place. They are brothers from Cardup. They travelled to Queensland in June, where they competed in the 2025 National Trial Championship. Ben took sixth place and Jack was crowned the 2025 open junior Australian trials champion. In September, Ben won the 2025 WA Moto Trials State Championship and claimed the title of 2025 WA state champion. He dethroned multi-time WA state champion, Neil Price, who is now the former GOAT because he has been overtaken by Ben.
Young McKenna Wolf is a BMX rider. She won the 2023 state championships. She won every single race in both state and national events, including the championships in the 2023 season. She won two number 1 plates in an Adelaide national round campaign. She claimed 3A and 5A at the 2025 GWM BMX Racing National Championships in New South Wales in October and competed in the 2025 UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Copenhagen in July. She came 21st in the under-9 girls. I had a chat with McKenna a couple of weeks ago, when I was up there for the launch of the new gate. I spoke to her and her mother. McKenna is so good at BMX but the reality is that not as many females participate in BMX as would be ideal, so she forgoes race points throughout the year and races against the boys instead to improve her riding. When she goes against other females, she is quite often streets ahead.
Apologies to the member for Cockburn, but Jay Lander was named the King of Cockburn at the new Cockburn BMX facility in August. He also offers coaching at the Byford BMX Club. Byford BMX Club had 14 riders compete in the 2025 GWM BMX National Championships in New South Wales in October. Byford finished 20th in the club championship standings against 99 clubs from all over Australia. Jay Lander competed in the under-23s Elite and Superclass Men. Also competing were: Oliver Hogan, Riley Botha, Chloe Carmody, Luke Carmody, Aaron Nottle, Josh Emons, Jonathon Emons, Savannah Robertson, Xavier Halton and Mckenna Wolf—as I mentioned before—Isabella Halton, Nate Nottle and Lewis Halton. They did Byford BMX Club proud in the competition.
There are legacy projects from the last election that are going ahead. The Byford Skate Park was an $800,000 commitment and I am happy to say that after four years it is under construction and, hopefully, it will be finished in the next two or three months. The Byford Pump Track similarly was a 2021 commitment, but it was morphed from a splash park commitment. The shire decided it did not want a splash park because the amount of money would not have delivered a decent product, so it was repurposed to a pump track. That is just about open; it should open in a week or two.
In 2020, the Keirnan Park Recreation Precinct received a $22 million commitment from the state government through the WA Recovery Plan. The sod turning was just before the last election. I was there a couple of weeks ago, and it was good to see that construction has commenced. There were heavy vehicles there doing earthworks. The project will deliver two ovals and a pavilion, allowing cricket and football to be played at Keirnan Park in Mundijong.
Those projects have taken a fair bit of time, which is a bit frustrating, but there are some legitimate reasons for that. There was COVID-19. There is also the requirement for clearing permits and water licences et cetera. The projects clearly were not shovel ready. Prior to the last election, the shire sought a commitment for the expansion of the recreation centre. It had an estimated cost of $40 million, ostensibly to increase the court space for basketball and futsal, which is indoor soccer. I was able to commit $10 million on behalf the state government towards that project, but unfortunately because there was no detailed design the shire was unable to attract any more funding from either side in federal government. The $10 million commitment has been sitting there since March without any prospect of delivering the project.
The shire recently formed a community recreation centre stakeholder reference group. The community recreation centre is where basketball is played. There are a few users there. They got together and agreed that the BMX track adjacent to the recreation centre should be moved. The BMX track project is stage 1B of the Keirnan Park recreation project. The design has been completed, so it is effectively shovel-ready. That is my desired outcome as well because I want to deliver a brand-new track for the BMX riders in Whitby. The present track, although it is good and has produced some good riders, is subject to a bit of vandalism and misuse because it is not fenced. Kids go there on electric vehicles and use remote-control model cars et cetera, and they cause ruts and damage to the track. I have forgotten the technical term, but the hills on the track, the bits on the top, are not capped, so they are subject to weathering. The club, led by Dan Lander, spends a lot of time preparing the track before race meets.
The reference group suggested that the BMX track needs to move and that is what should happen. However, the item is going through to the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale on Monday night and the SJ officers have not supported that recommendation despite the reference group agreeing. The reference group is made up of non-BMX people as well. It represents basketball, futsal and other users of the recreation centre, who all agree that the BMX track should be built to make way for any future expansion of the recreation centre. I was a bit disappointed to see the officer recommendations and I urge the councillors to come up with an alternative motion to support the creation of a brand-new national-level track at Keirnan Park. It will be a great boon for the club and it will produce a lot more talent and it will also offer a venue for state and national level, and perhaps international-level, riders to come to Serpentine–Jarrahdale to race.
The club is not full of airs and graces. At the moment its facilities are pretty rudimentary. It operates out of a shipping container. It is willing to continue to do that because stage 1B was a track and a pavilion. The club is happy to go there without the pavilion. I would strongly recommend that the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale resolves to spend that $10 million towards a brand-new BMX track and the pavilion can come later. The aim of the meeting on Monday is to seek feedback from the state government. I will give that in advance: that is my preferred option. That is the preferred option of the Minister for Sport and Recreation as well. I have had lots of entreaties from community members about this particular aspect. People from the basketball club rang me yesterday to urge that BMX is provided a track. It is a recognition that it is about the kids. It is about fostering sports, and having a great track in Mundijong will be good. Other people in the community have seen historical projects fall over or take an inordinately long time.
That is the way ahead. I urge the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale to get behind it and support BMX. Once it is out of the area, the shire can revisit its future goals with basketball and in the future it may end up that it is economically viable or better. It may make more economic sense to knock down the existing facility and build a new one, but that will obviously depend upon being able to attract funding in the future. With that, I commend the bill to the house.
Mrs Magenta Marshall (Rockingham) (12:08 pm): I rise to contribute in support of the Sports and Entertainment Trust Bill 2025. I am really pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate our government's commitment to improving access to community sport and providing quality recreational infrastructure in Rockingham.
It is my core belief that everyone should be able to experience the thrill of playing community sport and belonging to a team. Sport is fundamental to Rockingham's community spirit and we are spoilt for choice with many great clubs in our region for all ages and interests. As we have heard from other members in this debate, participation in community sport offers a wide range of benefits. It is well known that it greatly improves our physical health, but also our mental health. That is one of the reasons I keep going back to sport and different types of exercise, because having an active lifestyle really helps strengthen my mental resilience, particularly in a job like this. It is really great mindfulness and an opportunity to forget about the day-to-day life or being a mum as well, to have that 90 minutes, 30 minutes, 20 minutes, or whatever it is, on the pitch to take time for yourself. It is really great.
It is also a strong way for many people to be really connected with their community and to build friendships and relationships with other people.
As members are probably aware, I am a big football fan—as in soccer, the world game—and over the years, I have really enjoyed contributing to my local community as a player, a coach, a youth mentor and a committee member on various clubs. Since being elected to this role, one of the things I have really enjoyed is getting out to all the different clubs in the area, sometimes learning about new sports that I did not know about before, and seeing that the commitment to community building and the passion for grassroots sports is really prevalent across all the various codes. One of the biggest clubs in my electorate is the Rockingham Flames, our local NBL1 basketball club. I believe I have said it here before, but I firmly believe that there are only two world games and they both involve round balls! Of course, they are football and basketball. The growth in basketball over recent years has been phenomenal, which is why I was really proud to make a $10 million election commitment in 2023 for the expansion of indoor court capacity at the Mike Barnett Sporting Complex.
Growing up in Rockingham, I spent many Saturday mornings playing netball locally at that complex. It has been more than 15 years now since I played netball there, and in that time the indoor capacity has not changed. It is still at seven indoor courts. During the Rockingham by-election campaign, I met with the Rockingham Flames and Basketball WA to talk about the challenges that they face, and I was disheartened to learn that there are more than 400 local kids on the waiting list trying to get into teams to play basketball. That is 400 local kids missing out on that participation and all the benefits that come with playing community sport, which is why it was important to me to work with my colleagues to make that commitment. It has been a while since I have been able to talk about that project, so I have an update that I would like to share with the house. A total of $2 million of the $10 million commitment has already been provided to the City of Rockingham, and the indoor upgrades have been completed. It involved much-needed roof upgrades, court ventilation improvements and wall cladding for courts 4 to 7. That maintenance work is now complete, and I am told that despite being home to the Rockingham Flames, the temperature on the court is now much more tolerable!
Several members interjected.
Mrs Magenta Marshall: Thanks, I tried!
I am also working with the city now to deliver on the remaining $8 million towards the indoor court expansion to plug that much-needed gap in our local community.
I put on the record my appreciation to the President of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association, Jo Clossick. She is a staunch advocate for the club and is always talking to me about this commitment and when we are going to get on with it. I do the same with the president of Rockingham Districts Netball Association, Brooke Onoforo, who I have worked with a little bit over the past year as well.
As I have mentioned previously in the house, I had experience as a coach of the Baldivis Districts Football Club disability inclusive team for two seasons—its inaugural seasons. When United Reds Football League Inclusion Solutions—which unfortunately includes the Manchester United Foundation!—partnered with Football West to provide inclusive football in WA, I was really proud to be the inaugural coach for those two seasons. I loved that role and getting to see local kids get the opportunity to belong to a team, play a team sport for the first time and make meaningful memories with their friends. It is important to me that all kids experience these benefits, which is why I am so happy that both the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association and the Rockingham Districts Netball Association have inclusive leagues. The Rockingham Bizlink Flames provide that opportunity for local players to be involved in organised basketball. They are regularly commended at the local Sports Star Awards for their contribution. Similarly, the Rockingham Districts Netball Associations No Limits Netball program gives local players the same opportunity in netball. As I said, I am really proud of these clubs and I commend them for their commitment to inclusion. I plan to keep supporting those programs in the future.
Turning to the commitment of the other $8 million, I am really pleased that last year the City of Rockingham completed the Mike Barnett Sports Complex master plan report and recently it was approved in the new council's forward plan budget. As I mentioned, the Mike Barnett Sports Complex has not been upgraded in many years. It is the city's largest indoor sporting complex, providing the home base for two of our largest sporting associations. The use of the facility has evolved with changing community needs, and some spaces are no longer used for their original purpose. Aesthetically, the complex is outdated and no longer meets community expectations. Forecast participation rates indicate a need for four new indoor courts in the region by 2031. However, I think that the need is greater than that and there is a demand already.
As part of the project, the city examined four options: a full master plan, delivering four indoor courts, delivering two indoor courts or just an internal refurbishment and car parking. It has done the analysis on those four options and has determined that option 2, the four indoor courts, is the best option. That project will deliver four new courts; provide additional car parking; upgrade services, including electrical and fire; refurbish the existing change rooms and toilets; and undertake external works, including bike racks, landscaping and footpaths. As I mentioned, we have committed $8 million towards that provision for new indoor courts and that is ready to be acquitted to the city. At the time of writing this report, the agreement for that $8 million had not been executed yet as a council decision on the way forward was pending. The council has resolved to accept option 2, which is the delivery of those four new courts, the car parking, the change rooms and toilets, which costs $18.5 million. As I said, I am really pleased that the city has recently committed to putting this in its forward planning, with design and planning to be completed in 2026–27, detailed design in 2027–28, build in 2028–29 and delivery in 2029–30. I am excited to be working with the city on delivering this major project. I cannot wait to see the new courts and the new kids who will be able to experience belonging to a team sport as a result.
At the recent state election, I made a number of small commitments to local clubs that I have the opportunity to share with the house now. One of the first ones I want to talk about is to the Rockingham Rams Baseball Club. That was a commitment of $200,000 to replace and expand the backstop netting, making the oval safer and more accessible to other sporting clubs and community users. The Rockingham Rams Baseball Club is based at Hourglass Reserve. That is the oval right down the road from the house where I grew up. On one side of the oval, the Rockingham Rams Baseball Club is present, with three different diamonds, and on the other side of the oval is the Rockingham Districts Little Athletics Centre. Currently, the Little Athletics is not able to be on the oval at the same time as baseball games because that backstop netting is not high enough and it is not safe, with the ball sometimes going over to where those kids could be playing. Also, some cars parked in unfortunate spots have had windows smashed or been hit by those rogue balls. Through my discussions with the club's secretary, Michaela Williams, I was able to identify that there was a need for this project. I am really pleased to have committed to it and to be working with the club on the rollout.
Another small election commitment I made was for $70,000 for the Safety Bay Bowls Club to install new shade shelters around the greens. As of last year, it has a new president, Scott Gallon, who has been a delight to work with. He is a local Safety Bay man and a big advocate for Rockingham. One of the things I mentioned earlier is that sometimes in this job we learn about new sports. Recently when at the Safety Bay Bowls Club, I got to play a game of Safety Bay petanque, which is a game I had not been exposed to before. It is a French game. It is a version of bowls, but it is underarm, like this. I do not know how to describe it, but it is unique. You have a straight arm. I think it is quite susceptible to newcomers. I actually won the game and I do not think that was due to any skills that I had. It was just luck. That Safety Bay petanque team is one of the biggest clubs around the state and recently it hosted the state championships. It had the biggest team out there for the club in a very long time. It took out fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh out of the 16 teams. I say well done. Thanks to president, Peter, and club member, Chris Stone, for inviting me out recently to play. I look forward to supporting it as well.
Another election commitment made at the recent state election was $50,000 for the Rockingham Bowling Club to install LED lighting over a bowling green. Again, this is a fantastic club in the electorate. It is really thriving. It is quite close to the foreshore, so it sees a lot of opportunities ahead in providing night-time competitions. I have been pleased to work with secretary, Robin Bridle, and president, Ash McMahon, on this commitment, which I believe is being delivered as we speak.
Another commitment was $23,000 to Cycling Without Age to deliver an additional trishaw bike to be piloted by volunteers. I want to thank community captain, Deb Wall, for bringing me the request and working with me on this commitment. It is a great local club that goes out on the foreshore and provides rides for people with disabilities or aged people who might not be able to experience the jetties and the foreshore in the capacity that they might like. I am told that this new trishaw bike is world class. It is the only one in Western Australia and was shipped over from the east coast. It is now being put to great use by the club. It also goes to local aged-care facilities and takes some of the residents for rides around local lakes and things. It is a great club that I am pleased to support.
We heard a lot from the member for Darling Range about the growth of BMX and the importance of supporting it. One of my commitments was $110,000 to deliver track upgrades for the Rockingham BMX Club. I want to thank its executive secretaries Chantelle and Carine for working with me on this commitment. The club is growing and the sport is attracting more and more young people. It is important that they are able to do the sport safely, which means having access to a quality track that is not full of potholes and has appropriate edging. I have been pleased to deliver that commitment and I believe it is working with the department now on getting those funds executed as soon as possible so that it can host some upcoming state trials and championships.
Another commitment I made was $75,000 for the Safety Bay Stingers and the other the clubs that use Stan Twight Reserve for the purchase and installation of a scoreboard. I want to thank the club's president, Jo Croft. She has been a great advocate for the club. She has invited me down many times. I am pleased that we are going to be supporting them with this new infrastructure, particularly given the upgrades at its reserve recently.
The Safety Bay Tennis Club is another fantastic club in Rockingham. Under president Terry Fraser, it has been working with me on a commitment of $160,000, which will be put towards the project to improve disability access and make necessary upgrades to the kitchen and change rooms. That is pretty common in Rockingham. A lot of our infrastructure is really old and has served our community well for a long time, but it is appropriate that we now put some money into making these facilities fit for purpose in the modern age. I am glad to have made this commitment and I look forward to working with the club to roll it out. I just wanted to put on the record that Wayne Arnott is an incredible wheelchair tennis player at the Safety Bay Tennis Club. He has always loved tennis. He took up the wheelchair version of the sport after his first leg amputation 12 years ago. He is now a wheelchair tennis champion, having won the national over-35s competition in Melbourne. He thinks that the wheelchair competition in WA is not enough of a challenge for him, so this year, he was the first wheelchair athlete to play in the able-bodied state pennants competition. He is an amazing player. Currently, he is not able to access the change rooms at his local club, the Safety Bay Tennis Club, because of its outdated design. I am really excited to be working with the club on delivering that improved access.
Another small election commitment that I made was $75,000 to the Rockingham Rams Football Club for the purchase and installation of an electronic scoreboard similar to the one for the Safety Bay Stingers. I want to thank its president, Trent Fitzpatrick, for working with me on that project. Another amazing upgrade is in the pipeline for its home ground at Anniversary Park. I will talk more about that a bit later.
Another small commitment I made was $15,000 for the Rockingham Raptors Teeball Association to purchase new Tee-Ball Association accredited bats and bases to improve safety for the players as well as gazebos for sun protection. That was brought to me by Michael Erba, the club treasurer. That commitment is already signed, sealed and delivered. It has purchased that new equipment, which is being put to great use every weekend as the juniors season is underway. Again, I am proud to be able to support clubs like this that provide a home for kids in our region to participate in the sport they love.
The final small election commitment that I made in the sports space was $20,000 to the Warnbro Strikers to purchase new club equipment and whitegoods for the canteen, such as a deep fryer and a coffee machine, so that they can make a little bit more revenue. The founder and club president, Kevin Duggan, is a stalwart of that club. He was the club president when I was playing at five years old, and he is still the president now. I want to thank him for his continued commitment to that club and for working with me on this commitment.
Finally, while we are on the subject of sports and entertainment, I thought it was also worth including that I made a $40,000 commitment to the Rockingham Theatre Company for new lighting. The Rockingham Theatre Company is a fantastic little venue in Rockingham run entirely by volunteers and its president, Alison Gibson. New LED lighting and rig will improve safety and enhance the visitor experience at the theatre. I am looking forward to going there next week to see its inaugural youth theatre performance of The Wizard of Oz.
They are all the small commitments that I have made in Rockingham. As I said, we are a sports-mad community. There are many clubs in and just outside of my electorate boundaries that are also well loved by the people in my community. I am a sponsor of many of these clubs. I am always proud to support them in their programs, which mean so much to players and families. Sporting participants in any capacity, be it coaches, players, referees or volunteers, often relate community sport to their own journey of personal development, and through this participation, they can obtain the life skills and self confidence that go way beyond the pitch or court. We also know that the camaraderie and mentorship within community sport and clubs serves as a protective barrier against antisocial behaviour by keeping kids busy and teaching them pride in their community. Centres such as the Rockingham Police and Community Youth Centre give disadvantaged children and young people a place to go where they can feel at home, make friends and, of course, play a sport while fostering harmonious, safer and more resilient communities.
Recently, I joined the Rockingham PCYC Gymnastics Club for its annual trophy presentation. It was incredible and at times really heart-stopping to see the performances of the students. That club is going from strength to strength, with approximately 150 new members in 2025. Their skills have clearly been thriving under the guidance of head coach Merry Gillespie. I want to say well done to all the award winners and coaches on a fantastic season and a special congratulations to my family friend Alliana Rivas, who won the Junior Outstanding Performance award.
On top of all the amazing clubs I have already mentioned, Rockingham is also home to some incredibly high-achieving sports stars. I have been proud to support and sponsor some of these local talents to achieve their dreams. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge some of the local talents who I have sponsored in 2025.
(Member's time extended.)
Mrs Magenta Marshall: I have a short list here. Callan Patrick, who plays basketball for the KBC Paladins, travelled to Singapore for the annual Singapore Cup, representing Australia and, of course, Rockingham. Heather Fielding and Aleigha Auld, who are both baseball players for the West Coast Rays, travelled interstate for the Australian Women's and Youth Women's Championship. Aleigha Auld is a strong talent in baseball and won the Golden Bat award. Scarlett Skelton, who is a soccer player, travelled to Sydney recently to represent Western Australia in the WA Dreamtime Spirit Aboriginal women's soccer team. I was pleased to support her. She attends the football program at Safety Bay Senior High School. I know she has a bright future ahead of her in the sport.
Finally, in dance, I have had the privilege of supporting Lilli Wren and Bella Moore, who are travelling to Disneyland with their dance school, Bec Leeson Dance Academy, in the coming months. While talking about Bec Leeson Dance Academy, I thought this might be a really unique opportunity to put on the record that Abbey Ryan, one of the coaches there who is a good friend of mine, had her first baby last week, little Billie Mae Ryan. I want to congratulate and send my best wishes to Abbey and her husband Tom Ryan on the birth of their beautiful girl.
Finally, the most recent sports star in Rockingham who I have been able to sponsor is Sam Render, who is a CrossFitter from my gym, Injustice Crossfit. Sam is a 14-year-old athlete who travelled to Brisbane earlier this year to participate in the Torian Pro, a competition that combined athletes from within Oceania, in which he was successful in beating the New Zealanders and fellow Australians to represent Australia at the CrossFit Games in America. Sam placed 27th in the end in what was a very tough competition. Given he was a first-timer, I know he has a very bright future ahead of him in the sport.
Moving on now, I want to talk a little bit about projects that I had the privilege of opening last month. As I said, Rockingham has a long history of thriving sporting clubs and strong local participation. A lot of these clubs have existed for decades and, as a result, their facilities are dated and no longer fit for purpose in some instances. Rockingham clubs have moved out of the area on occasions to where new facilities have been built nearby, such as the Rockingham City Football Club, the Rockingham Redbacks Hockey Club, the Rockingham Rugby Club as well as others. They have all moved to the Lark Hill sporting complex facility 15 minutes away in Secret Harbour, which was delivered by Mark McGowan.
As the local member, strengthening my local sporting clubs and improving access for kids growing up in Rockingham, like I did, is really important to me. I know that investing in sporting infrastructure is great for local communities and generates benefits that extend far beyond the sports field. This investment creates economic prosperity, productivity and local job opportunities, and plays a key role in strengthening our local tourism, hospitality, retail and cultural and arts sectors. Meeting the growing demands of the sports-mad Rockingham residents is one of my priorities. I acknowledge that there are many more clubs to go, but as a government we know the important role that sport and recreation plays in enabling our communities to thrive.
Recently I had the fantastic opportunity to join the City of Rockingham for the opening of the new Stan Twight Reserve facilities. Through the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport's Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund, the WA government contributed funding of $1 million towards that project. These new facilities were built for the Safety Bay Stingers Football Club, which I mentioned earlier, the Rockingham Rams Masters Football Club and the Shoalwater Bay Cricket and Sporting Club to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members and visitors. As a little girl, after trying Little Athletics, I gave hockey a go as my first team sport at Stan Twight back when it was home to the Rockingham Redbacks. I played a season there before I realised that hockey was not for me. That was about 25 years ago. Until now, the facilities had not changed much. They became outdated and they were not fit to support the community's growing needs. As part of this recent project, the outdated 30-year-old pavilion was demolished and replaced with a contemporary social pavilion, featuring kitchen and bar facilities, clubrooms and storage. A new change room building was also constructed, providing four gender-neutral change rooms, an umpires' change room, a first aid room and an externally accessible universal toilet to support inclusive and community-friendly use. The project also delivered new floodlighting upgrades to 150 lux on the main oval to meet the increased demand for training due to the growing membership. It will also enable the fixture of evening competitions. The renewed facilities have been designed to boost accessibility, inclusivity and community safety. The facility is not just for club members; it is part of a key venue that supports the recreational and sporting needs of the local community, and school and social groups. I thank the City of Rockingham for delivering this great project. It is state of the art. The change rooms are nicer than some restaurant bathrooms members might go to. They are world class. I think that is what the community deserves.
I will also acknowledge the hard work and resilience of some groups. When we build these new facilities, it often means there is a bit of disruption. I acknowledge that the last season was challenging for the Safety Bay Stingers Football Club, the Rockingham Rams Masters Football Club and the Shoalwater Bay Cricket and Sporting Club, but I believe that the new facilities more than make up for that.
Another project that we are delivering locally is the upgrades to Anniversary Park. Again through the CSRFF program, we are delivering more than $1 million to that City of Rockingham project. Anniversary Park is home to the Rockingham Rams Masters Football Club, which has more than 600 members. It has inclusive teams and a strong focus on women and girls. The new change rooms for that project will deliver new change rooms that can meet those growing needs. The draft detailed design has been completed and construction is expected to begin this year, with completion in 2026–27.
With the time left I am going to talk a little bit about pathways. As we have heard from some members, there has been growing support for women and girls participation in sport. I cannot help but think that going back, if such options were provided to me, I might have taken up sport while going through university in my early adult years. Unfortunately, to be a woman in sport at that time meant being involved predominantly in social leagues, which meant I made the decision to work in hospitality on weekends instead and make some extra money. In that regard, I think it is really important that we invest in facilities in our schools so that schoolkids who want to take up those pathways can do so in an environment that they deserve. As with many things in Rockingham, our school facilities can be older and some are becoming outdated. That is why I am pleased to be delivering one of the biggest redevelopment projects in my electorate, which is $60 million for the Rockingham Senior High School redevelopment and $40 million for Safety Bay Senior High School redevelopment.
Rockingham Senior High School opened in 1971—more than 50 years ago—and is home to specialist basketball, netball and rugby league programs, which are thriving. In November at the NRL WA's schoolboys grand final, Rockingham Senior High School took out a clean sweep. Its three teams in years 8, 9 and 10 won gold in all three finals, often winning by more than 10 points. The year 10 team won by 40–4, which was a big thumping. I want to put on the record how proud I am of them. Rugby league is a growing sport in WA and I am really excited for the welcoming of the Perth Bears.
Another school I will mention is Safety Bay Senior High School. It was built and opened in 1978, which is almost 50 years ago. It is home to our strong football program and the cheer-dance program, which is a nationally recognised elite program. The redevelopment of those two schools will deliver new sports halls, change rooms, toilets and gymnasiums as well as replace a synthetic soccer pitch and external court. I am really excited to deliver on those projects so that the kids growing up in Rockingham, like I did, will have access to world-class facilities.
Before I wrap up, noting that it is now after 12:00 pm so the second Ashes match will have started in Brisbane, I thought that I might quickly talk a little bit about cricket. Recently, the magnificent parliamentary cricket team took on the media in the annual press versus Parliament match. I want to correct the record about some of the things that have been shared in the house about that match. I have the cricket score book from the game that was tabled in our last week of sitting. I love to watch cricket, but I cannot read this for the life of me and I do not really know where to begin, but I definitely was not the best bowler, and I think the records show that! I think I was the best beginner bowler—the best noob—but I am very grateful to have received that award. As members know, the Parliament team won. It was a great result under captain Hon Steve Martin from the other place, as well as few other honourable members, including Hon Philip Scott, Hon Andrew O'Donnell, Hon Rob Horstman, Hon Dr Parwinder Kaur, Hon Anthony Spagnolo and Hon Tim Clifford. As members can see, there was strong representation from the other place. Some parliamentary staff also participated, including Darren Seet from the Legislative Assembly, who is a great cricketer, and the Sergeant-at-Arms, Thomas Moorhead, who actually caught and bowled Hamish Hastie from the press team. I just wanted to make sure that it was on the record that I do not think I was the best bowler. Thomas did a great job. Other staff on the Parliament team included Matt O'Keefe, who works for Minister Hammat and who made the time to join us amidst what has been a very gruelling and intense time for him in the other place with the passing of the surrogacy reforms. We were also joined by Daniel Coombs from the member for Riverton's electorate office. I thank the Acting Speaker (Ms Sook Yee Lai) for the opportunity to contribute to this bill. I am clearly sports mad. I love to talk about it and there is a lot happening in the Rockingham electorate that I am very proud of.
Mrs Michelle Maynard (Swan Hills) (12:37 pm): I rise today to speak in strong support of the Sports and Entertainment Trust Bill 2025. For the people of Swan Hills, whether they are in Ellenbrook or our young players running out in Aveley, our riders who are training in Brigadoon or junior teams kicking the footy in Bullsbrook, sport is not just an extracurricular activity; it is the heart of how we connect, it is how we raise confident kids, it is how new families connect and find their place in our growing suburbs, and it is how our rural communities from Upper Swan to Gidgegannup strengthen their resilience, especially after tough years and seasons. This bill modernises the governance capability and financial management of the Sports and Entertainment Trust. That is a practical step that will help us keep delivering the facilities, programs and opportunities that our communities need.
I will be honest, just like the member for Rockingham, I am a massive sports fan. I am happy to announce to the house that Mitchell Starc got another batsman out in his first over. England is two down in the second game of the Ashes. It is very exciting. I swear that I am doing work while getting updates! I am a massive sports fan, whether as an enthusiastic sports watcher or a cheerleader, whether I am cheering on the Scorchers or getting updates on the Ashes or backing my beloved Eagles—that has tested my patience for the last couple of years. I am always there. My favourite games to watch, though, are the ones involving my own kids, who, thankfully, did not inherit their mum's lack of skill in the sporting arena. My weekends at the moment are filled with T-ball and cricket for my son. For my daughter, I want to give a special shout-out to Charlotte, Georgia and Giselle, who were the runner-up state champions for level 6 acrobatics a couple of weekends ago. I am incredibly proud of their hard work and resilience and the skills they displayed to achieve that—I could not be prouder.
The messaging is that sport matters. It brings our communities together. It builds not just athletic skills, but personal ones of resilience, teamwork, confidence and belonging. For children, it is where they learn to be part of something bigger than themselves. It is where friendships form, where character is shaped and where they find their tribe. For adults, sport is just as important. It is a lifeline for mental health, a space to break a sweat, to switch off from the pressures of daily life and to stay connected, which is why I am immensely proud to be able to back our sporting communities as part of my election commitments. I spoke in my inaugural speech about the tough time that I had at school growing up. I attribute a lot of that and my loneliness to the fact that my family could not afford for me to do sports outside of school. School was an incredibly lonely place for me. When my family could not afford for me to do dance anymore, I did not have that outside community. That is why I find sport so important. If kids are having a tough time at school, they can go and find their friendship groups elsewhere, somewhere with a common interest or a common goal.
My husband, who would attest that he is the most antisocial person one could ever meet, knows somebody wherever we go because he would have played football with them growing up, or he plays indoor cricket with them now, or he played outdoor cricket with them before. It is a way of connecting people and that is why I back sport so much, whether it is including my kids, supporting our local sporting communities through this new role, being the treasurer of our local junior footy club or being the treasurer on the Metro Central Regional Development Council, which is the board that sits between the West Australian Football Commission and the junior footy clubs underneath the Swan and East Perth districts.
Sporting matters to our kids, our adults and our communities, and that is why I am so incredibly proud to be able to make commitments to those in the Swan Hills region, which I want to talk a little about. The big one that was asked for and had been waited on for so long was the $2.5 million upgrade to the Ellenbrook District Open Space, one of the most heavily used sporting precincts in the entire region. Anyone, like me, who has spent many a Saturday morning there, when we are suiting up for the mighty Ellenbrook Dockers, standing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of parents from Ellenbrook, Aveley and The Vines, knows why this investment is so important. It is not just a local oval; it is the beating heart of sport in our northern suburbs. For many years, the clubs were saying the same thing: "Numbers are exploding. We love that families want to join us, especially the families of our girls' and women's programs, but we're at breaking point and we don't have the space for the infrastructure." Our girls' teams are growing rapidly and need better facilities and that is what this commitment will achieve. I also want to give a shout-out to our federal member for Hasluck, Tania Lawrence, who will be contributing another $2.5 million towards this project. That means, with the City of Swan, we have $7.5 million for renovations and a new building program to expand these facilities. This upgrade is about easing that pressure and modernising amenities that meet the needs of a community that has tripled in size in two decades. Most importantly, it means clubs like the Ellenbrook Dockers, the Ellenbrook Eels, the Ellenbrook Rangers and the community groups that also use EDOS will finally have the facilities that match their professionalism and passion. That is what delivery looks like—meeting growth with investment and meeting community need with government action. I am so proud that I was able to make this election commitment alongside the Premier at Ellenbrook District Open Space.
Moving west across the electorate to the Swan Valley, I made a commitment of $50,000 to the Swan Athletic Sporting and Community Club for a long-awaited kitchen upgrade. Some might hear "kitchen upgrade" and think it is a small thing or not at all related to sports, but anyone who has spent time at community sporting clubs, particularly in the Swan Valley, knows that the kitchen is possibly the engine room of club spirit. It is where parents come to warm up after a winter morning meet. It is where volunteers keep the club running. It is where a thriving business that spends hours providing food for the community spends their time. I have spoken to that committee, which has spent hours cooking in facilities that were built back in the 1950s and were not built for the demand it faces today. That upgrade has been delivered. I got to open that and I am so thrilled that it is going to help one of the biggest clubs within the Swan Valley. A modernised kitchen will serve those families for the next generation. I was so pleased to tour those facilities just a couple of weeks ago. They look amazing and the club is so excited for what lies ahead.
Just around the corner, I committed another $50,000 to the Swan Valley Sporting and Community Club for urgently needed car park upgrades. On paper, this might look like another infrastructure project, but any valley resident knows that this club is more than the building; it is where communities come together.
Debate adjourned, pursuant to standing orders.
