Thursday, 30 October 2025

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (23:19): (2072) My adjournment is to the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events. Minister, as you may be aware, Netball Australia are inviting people to get behind their campaign to see netball included in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games but so far are pushing for women only, even though there is significant men’s representation at international level, similar to the women. Men’s and boys’ netball is not officially recognised under the Australian Sports Commission through Netball Australia. However, men’s netball is endorsed by World Netball, and earlier this year they announced the first men’s Netball World Cup, to be held in 2027. Netball is the fastest-growing male participation sport in Australia, yet the lack of support and recognition by netball’s governing organisations are limiting the opportunities for the funding, growth and advancement of men’s netball. To play netball, both girls and boys are required to register with their state body. In Victoria this is Netball Victoria. They pay the same registration fee, but only girls are eligible to apply for state-based grants, including local government grants, the Victorian government sporting champions grant, the Australian Institute of Sport local sporting champions grant, the Aboriginal sport participation grant and the Sports Excellence Scholarship Fund – and they are ineligible for federal grant programs.

Melissa Ryan, the parent of a male netball athlete, who also has a daughter who plays, highlighted the inequality of support for her son to participate in representative men’s netball – yet her daughter can access multiple funding opportunities. He could not access financial support and assistance to represent our state at the national level or when he represented Australia in the last international series. This inequality also impacts our Australian Kelpies, who proudly represent our country at the international level. This is because men’s netball is not recognised under the Australian Sports Commission. Netball Australia need to recognise men’s and boys netball with the Australian Sports Commission to ensure that all men and boys who play netball have an equal opportunity for support and recognition of participation in their sport and that the financial burden does not exclude them from participating. The action I seek is for the minister to work with the Victorian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association to support the recognition of men’s and boys netball by the state and federal governing bodies. It would be great to see men’s netball in the Olympics and our male athletes equally supported to do so.