E&OE.
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
Thank you very much for being here on a cold Canberra morning.
It’s a great honour to be here with you.
I want to say thank you very much to Aunty Violet – who’s, with 24 grand kids, she’ll tell you she starts the school run fairly shortly, so we’ll keep the speeches short Aunty, and let you get back to the job that you’ve got ahead of you.
I also acknowledge the traditional owners on the land of which we meet today, and thank you very much for your warm welcome.
Thank you to the Prime Minister for his very warm words and to Anika Wells as the Minister for Sport.
Thank you very much to Anne Ruston for being here as the Shadow Minister for Sport.
I’d also like to acknowledge my parliamentary colleagues who are here today, including Richard Colbeck, the former Minister for Sport, but Graham Perrett and Bert van Manen who are the Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of the Olympics and Paralympic Movements.
Alison to you, thank you very much for the outstanding leadership that you provide as President and to all of the Board members who are here today for the effort that you’ve put into making what will be a spectacular event and providing every support to our athletes.
Thank you very much to Cameron Murray as well, as the acting CEO.
Most importantly, as the Prime Minister pointed out, to our Paralympics team. Thank you very much for the inspiration that you provide, for being here today, for making the effort to come to Canberra and to really be a part of what is a very important part of the parliamentary programme of this last sitting week, before we go into the winter break.
We wanted to send a very clear message to you, and as Sylvia pointed out before, a bipartisan one – that every member of this Parliament supports you and the work that you’ve done.
And I want to say thank you to Angie and Curtis as well for their greeting this morning, but for their work as co-captains.
I want to also acknowledge, importantly, and sometimes we forget, but the coaches, the managers, the sports scientists, the nutritionists, the doctors, the psychologists, the physios, the massage therapists and many more besides.
It takes a team to condition an athlete and keep them at their best.
So, congratulations one and all.
Only 57 days to go to wrap these people in cotton wool, to make sure there are no injuries and that they sharpen up as best they can, and don’t go overboard, because the hardest part is ahead of you.
To the athletes today, I want to say:
Most Australians cannot fathom the life of an athlete.
Yours is a life truly defined by discipline.
You rise early.
You train, literally for hours – and in many cases multiple times a day.
You stick to strict diets.
You relinquish precious time with family and friends to master your chosen sport.
The many days, the many months, indeed the many years of a regimented lifestyle have brought you to the summit of a sporting endeavour.
Your determination, your sacrifice, your performance has seen you selected to wear the green and gold – the greatest honour in this country.
And not just for a world championship or a world cup.
But the pre-eminent Paralympics.
For some of you, this of course is your first Paralympics.
For others, you’re more seasoned.
Regardless, you’ve done everything possible to physically prepare for the Games.
And of course, every Australian backs you.
Now, many people will say you should feel a great sense of pride to be here today, but the best effort is in front of you.
Whether it involves medaling or not, it is an incredible honour to represent this great country.
Athletes don’t train all of those hours simply to participate.
It is the inspiration the Prime Minister spoke about before.
Brisbane 2032 is going to be an amazing spectacle for our country.
We promise that the stadium will be built in time, by 2032, but there are young Australians now who are watching you, and have watched you for years, who have photos of you up on their walls, who see a little bit of themselves in you.
That is an incredible part of the responsibility that you carry when you’re wearing that green and gold.
So, whether it’s on the field, or it’s on the track.
Whether it’s on the court, or in the ring.
Whether it’s in the water, or on it.
Whether it’s as part of a team, or competing individually.
I want to say on behalf of every Australian, certainly everyone here today, we wish you every success.
We are proud of the sacrifice that you’ve made so far, but we will be further inspired when you’re up there representing our country.
We wish you every success.
Travel safely, and we look forward to celebrating you with great acclaim when you return to our shores.
Thank you very much.
[ends]