Tuesday, 14 October 2025

 Sarah CONNOLLY (Laverton) (13:26): With spring now officially sprung and summer well and truly on its way, cricket season is starting to heat up for most of our local community sporting clubs right across Victoria, and that is why for me there was no better way to celebrate the beginning of the season than to spend it down at Sunshine Heights Cricket Club in my electorate last week to celebrate the installation of their brand new LED electronic scoreboard at Ainsworth Reserve in Sunshine West. The scoreboard would not have been possible without our government supporting the club in last year’s state budget with an $85,000 investment towards the cost of installing it, and I clearly remember calling Walter from the club on budget day last year and telling him that they would be receiving this funding. He was absolutely overjoyed with happiness, and seeing the club last week as we turned the lights on, that same gratitude and same excitement was there on so many faces. For the club it means more time to practice at night and more options for games. There are two clubs that play from this site, the other being Sunshine Heights footy club, and we are talking about hundreds of members across both clubs who are going to be benefiting from this brand new scoreboard, though the footy club might actually have to wait until next season to get the most out of it. But whether it is here at Sunshine Heights cricket club and football club, the $70,000 we have funded this year to support Western Suburbs soccer club or the funding we delivered for Trug Thunder footy club on the other side of my electorate, it is clear that our government will always back our local sports clubs in the Laverton electorate.