THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
RAYGUN WAS FUN, BUT OLYMPICS WERE A WIN FOR WOMEN
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
FRIDAY, 16 AUGUST 2024
Like so much of the world, I spent a fortnight feeling proud of our athletes at the Olympic Games.
From Jessica Fox to Nina Kennedy, it’s not hard to assume these athletes are an entirely different species from those of us watching at home.
And in a way – they are. The diets, training regimes and even quirks of physique mean they can do things faster, stronger and sleeker than us mere mortals.
But the last weekend of the Games brought a human touch.
I am of course, talking about Australian breaker, Raygun.
She may have scored zero points and been knocked out of the competition early – but her moves have been watched by millions worldwide.
Raygun’s effort suddenly made the Olympics seem a whole lot more democratic – and even fun.
Because while Australia is a great sporting nation, that just had our most successful Games ever, we are also a nation that loves to see people have a go.
We have a soft spot for underdogs and amateurs, those that give it their best shot.
Raygun joins the pantheon of these other accidental Olympic greats.
I will never forget Eric the Eel, who had never swum in an Olympic-sized pool before he competed in Sydney 2000; or Steven Bradbury in the 2002 Winter Games who won Gold after his fellow competitors fell over.
While spontaneous moments in the Olympics sprinkle the whole fortnight with joy and memories – the hard work and success of our athletes has often been as a result of a long-term focus, and government support.
Continued investment in sport, in particular women’s sport, has been a priority of the Albanese Labor Government.
This year, Minister for Sport Anika Wells announced Play Our Way – the largest ever fund for women and girls sporting infrastructure. This $200 million fund helps more women and girls enjoy the mental and physical benefits of sport.
She spoke to women and girls around the country about their experience with sport and found too often women and girls are changing in men's bathrooms, wearing hand me down boys’ uniforms, using male equipment on poor fields.
And investment in infrastructure for all competitors – regardless if you are a future Olympian – will help so many Australian girls participate.
Research shows that girls who play sports develop self-esteem, confidence, resilience, a more positive body image, and learn to work in teams. They tend to stay in school longer, delay pregnancy, and get better jobs.
Then there are all the physical benefits to playing sport which translates to economic benefits. There is no downside.
Yet while Australian parents spend weekends driving both their sons and daughters from one sporting commitment to another – something changes. Half of Australian girls are quitting sport by the age of 15.
As we saw earlier this year, with the huge success of the Matildas at the FIFA World Cup 2023, Australian women excel at sport if the right investments are made early on.
And as for the audience – the Matildas proved that Aussies are just as smitten with women’s sport as they have been with men’s. And that boys will watch women’s sport.
One of the great things about the Matildas phenomenon is seeing young boys idolising women sports stars – turning up to support them at games and wearing jerseys with their numbers.
The Paris Olympics continued an amazing winning streak for Australian women.
For the first time in Olympic history, the 2024 edition of the games had gender parity, with roughly equal number of men and women athletes. The women also made up 55.6 per cent of the Australian Olympic team and won the majority of medals.
It’s an incredible result. But now the baton has passed to us sports fans to do our bit to keep up the momentum.
If you have daughters, encourage them to keep playing the games they love – perhaps to participate in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics!
You can also join me in the calls to make netball an Olympic sport and start revving up for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney.
Not only is it important for us as a nation to support our stars to pursue excellence – but to reward people for just having a go.
ENDS
Also published on The Daily Telegraph online on 15 August 2024.
