Wednesday, 12 August 2026

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (19:40): (2689) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Community Sport. The action that I seek is for the minister to support greater female participation in sport by upgrading the facilities at Tony Clarke Reserve in Macedon. The fantastic Liberal candidate for Macedon Kate Kendall has been visiting sporting clubs across the district of Macedon. Kate is always inspired by the selfless commitment of the club members and volunteers she meets, who freely give their time and energy to support junior sport and women’s sports. However, Kate is appalled by how dilapidated and run-down some of the facilities are after years of neglect by the Victorian Labor government.

At Tony Clarke Reserve, home of the Macedon Cats Football & Netball Club, the change rooms are decrepit and, frankly, unhygienic. The urinals are wide open and there are no cubicles or doors on the showers. That might have been okay for earlier generations of male players, but it does not meet the needs of younger women and girls today, who rightly expect privacy and cleanliness when showering and changing after playing sport. Coaches are often forced to take junior players to a public toilet block hundreds of metres away, and many of the girls resort to getting changed in the car or showering at home. This just is not good enough, and it is turning some young girls away from participating at an age when they feel the need to feel safe and welcomed into sport.

Under the leadership of Kate Kendall when she was mayor of Macedon Ranges Shire Council the shire council committed $40,000 towards a master plan for future development of the reserve. Council has also allocated $380,000 in its 2026–27 budget towards change room upgrades and sought a further $250,000 from the Victorian government’s country football and netball program to complete the project. This would bring the change rooms up to AFL community standards, ensuring that they are fit for purpose for all user groups, especially girls and women.

Unfortunately, council’s application for funding was knocked back, and club organisers and players have been left feeling deeply disappointed. The state government’s commitment to women’s inclusion in sport has to be more than two words. It must be backed up by meaningful action. Council intends to submit a new application for funding through the local sports infrastructure program, and I fully support their request. The Cats have waited patiently for tangible state government assistance that will provide modern, safe and inclusive facilities at Tony Clarke Reserve, but so far it has failed to materialise. I urge the minister to support female participation in sport by giving close consideration to the merits of the funding application to upgrade facilities at Tony Clarke Reserve in Macedon. Our female athletes deserve better and cannot endure another season with these substandard facilities.