Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Commonwealth Games

Ms RYAN (Euroa) (19:03): (6348) I rise this evening to request that the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events meet with Strathbogie shire to discuss the inclusion of rowing in the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Strathbogie shire was deeply disappointed that only Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland were chosen as regional hubs for the regional games. They feel that this is not a fair and equitable distribution of events and locations, so the council is seeking a meeting with the minister to put the case of our region but most particularly the inclusion of rowing at Nagambie.

Mr Wynne: Nagambie.

Ms RYAN: Nagambie, as the planning minister says. It would be just a wonderful destination for rowing. The Commonwealth Games have always featured a central group of sports; however, there is discretion to add to the core program, something which will actually see women’s cricket incorporated in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Currently rowing is not part of the program for the 2026 games, but a failure to include it I think will be detrimental to Australia’s overall medal tally considering our success in the sport, which has tallied a whopping 76 medals across the Olympic and Commonwealth games, including of course those won by the famous Victorian Oarsome Foursome. At the Tokyo Olympics Australia finished with four rowing medals, edged out only by our friends across the ditch. The Commonwealth Games in Australia would be a wonderful opportunity to continue that cross-Tasman rivalry while adding to our trophy cabinet.

Luckily for us, the perfect facilities exist in my electorate to host a world-class full-scale rowing competition on Lake Nagambie. Nagambie recently successfully hosted the Australian Rowing Championships with only eight days notice when the floods required a change of venue from Penrith in New South Wales. The infrastructure is there, accommodation is available for spectators and the region has plenty to offer outside of rowing. Not only would spectators get to watch topnotch athletes representing Australia but our local economy would benefit immensely. Our region is renowned for fine dining, for beautiful wineries and for first-class racehorses, and we have absolutely stunning landscapes. There is real disappointment in our communities that we have not been included in these games, particularly after it was the City of Greater Shepparton which actually came up with the concept of regional games and led that bid.

I therefore respectfully ask the minister to agree to meet with Strathbogie council and councillors to hear their proposal for the incorporation of rowing into the games to be hosted on Lake Nagambie. I think there is more to regional Victoria, as we all know, than just the regional cities, and much of the infrastructure that is needed to support a first-class sporting event such as this is already in place in Nagambie.