Wednesday, 29 October 2025

 Kathleen MATTHEWS-WARD (Broadmeadows) (09:57): Talking about fabulous young people, I had the pleasure of meeting Young Tonumaipea, a proud Broadie boy and Melbourne Storm star; Jarrod Stains, president of First Nations, Melbourne Rugby League; and Elena Euese. It was an honour to hear their stories, see their pride in their culture, their insights into the power of sport to uplift and bear witness to their incredible leadership.

The Harmony Cup showed the strength of connection between sport and culture, and it was a beautiful celebration of both, with over 1400 players representing 17 communities, including Africa United, Australia, Bendigo, Cook Islands, Fiji, First Nations, Footscray Mana, Great Britain, KCM Pasifika, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tagata Moana, Tonga, Tuvalu and VIC Maori. Seeing the families there, the celebration of culture and the bringing together of people through sport certainly reinforced my belief in the importance of investment in community sport as a wonderful way to give kids and communities healthy and positive opportunities. I could not be prouder of the Labor government’s $14.3 million investment in this wonderful home of rugby league at Seabrook Reserve in Broadmeadows.