Women in Sport

The entrepreneurial spirit required to create future Gold Coast jobs was reignited last week at the Reimagine Gold Coast jobs, skills and industry forum organised by the City Heart Taskforce that I chair and convened earlier this year, in May. The City Heart Taskforce has proven to be the vehicle and the Reimagine forum the platform for the engine room of the Gold Coast—that is, industry—to have a voice directly to the federal government when it comes to our opportunities to create jobs. I thank Ministers Stuart Robert and Karen Andrews for their support for my initiatives and for their commitment to Gold Coasters.

One such opportunity highlighted at the forum by Geoff Smith, from Sports Gold Coast, is to position the coast as the home of Australian women’s sport, building on existing momentum—and superb weather, can I say—of a 300 per cent increase in AFL participation by women, the Suns AFL women’s team and the Southport Sharks QFA women’s team. The Gold Coast is in fact already the natural home of women’s and girls’ sport. The open girls team of one of Queensland’s premier rugby league schools, Keebra Park State High, will be contesting the grand final of the inaugural Titans Cup today. The action will be live streamed by the Gold Coast Bulletin from 2 pm. I say to all girls on the Gold Coast and all women in sport that the Gold Coast will be the new natural home of women’s sport in this country. I’m proud to be here today. I have two words to say to Keebra Park State High School: go Keebra!