Wednesday, 9 March 2022

Ministers statements: Danny Frawley Centre

Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing) (14:17): Last week I was honoured to attend the opening of the Danny Frawley Centre for health and wellbeing, made possible thanks to a $7.3 million investment from the Victorian state government. I would like to acknowledge the Minister for Health, who was in attendance, the member for Bentleigh, the member for Rowville and indeed the member for Caulfield, who all attended that opening last week.

It is a wonderful facility. It includes AFLW grandstand seating, high-performance facilities, group program spaces, classrooms and consulting suites, and it is in addition to the $13 million we provided back in 2018 to redevelop the new grandstand to incorporate AFLW change rooms, administration, a hydrotherapy pool and a 25-metre pool. I would also like to acknowledge the commonwealth’s $8.5 million contribution towards stage 2C of the redevelopment. Importantly the centre facilities will be available to members of the local community, and mental health programs will be tailored for past and present players but also for sporting groups in the area.

Danny Frawley was a St Kilda champion. He played 240 games, 177 of them as captain. He was an all-Australian. He was a best and fairest winner. He was coach of Richmond. He was a trots icon, as my friend the member for Gippsland East knows. But beyond all of that he was one of the first players to open up about his mental health issues. He became a really strong advocate for mental health research, something that I know his wife, Anita, and his daughters, Danielle, Keeley and Chelsea, were very, very proud of. This centre will form a really important part of Danny Frawley’s legacy. It will continue his vital work supporting research but also the work that he did inspiring others to speak out about their mental health and wellbeing. In doing that, Danny Frawley left the most important legacy of all.