Thursday, 28 October 2021

 Mr CARROLL (Niddrie—Minister for Public Transport, Minister for Roads and Road Safety) (09:48): Today I rise to acknowledge two superstars of my local community who made us proud at the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games, which everyone knows were held this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At 10.30 pm on 4 August this year over 3 million people tuned in to watch the first Australian in 53 years running in the 800-metre final at the Olympics, making it one of the most viewed Olympic Games events of the Tokyo Olympics. Peter Bol was born in February 1994 in Sudan. By the age of 10 he and his family had moved to Toowoomba in Queensland. He then moved on to Perth before he touched down in Melbourne, and he now calls Niddrie home. He made us so proud. He is an Australian record holder. Everyone knows he came fourth by only a fraction, but to every Aussie I know, he might as well have won gold.

Ben Fawcett is an Australian Wheelchair Rugby League champion. He has won two medals so far—gold at Rio in 2016 and silver at the world championships. Everything I have read and learned about Ben tells me that he is a thrillseeker by heart—he became a quadriplegic after a snowboarding accident—and that saw him get through his recovery by turning his attention to wheelchair rugby. He is now regarded as one of the top rugby players in the world, and I know he is going to have more medals around his neck in many future events. Both Ben and Peter are well-known champions of our local community. They are ambassadors not only for Niddrie and Airport West but indeed Australia.