Transcript: Interview with Laura Jayes, Sky news - 5 August 2024

TRANSCRIPT

Interview with Laura Jayes, Sky News

5 August 2024

Topics: Funding delays for the $200 million Play Our Way program, success of Australia’s female Olympic athletes, Olympics boxing controversy

E&OE…………………………………

Laura Jayes: A $200 million Australian Government program to improve women's sports facilities is yet to provide any cash, almost a year after it was announced. This was the program announced during the Matildas' success at the Women's World Cup last year. Joining me now to discuss this is the Shadow Sports Minister, Anne Ruston.

Anne, great to see you. So much to celebrate at the Olympics, but just the women and how they have graced the podium and the way in which they've done it is just so inspirational. Really, again, kicking on from the Matildas' success. We won't talk about how they went at these Games because we don't need to. But, essentially - Let's get to the funding of sports facilities in a moment - but what is this success down to? Has there been a focus and funding of women's sport at an Olympic level in these swimming and track and field events that has just not been on our radar for the last couple of years?

Anne Ruston: Well, I don't think it's necessarily specific women's funding that has made the results that we've seen in Paris, but what I certainly do think is that there's been a real focus on women's sport in Australia over the last few years. And obviously, despite the fact that the Matildas haven't had the greatest Olympics, they have been a great sporting team on the international arena for the last couple of years. And I think it's really inspired women, and we've seen investments in women's sport. I mean, when we were in government, we made a big focus on investment in women's sport. And, you know, to some degree, hopefully what we're seeing in Paris is a result of those investments and the fact that we're trying to make it that there's a real level playing field for Australian girls and women’s sports people to make sure that they do have the same opportunities, but most particularly the same facilities so that they have the same opportunities to be able to achieve the elite status that we're seeing play out in Paris at the moment, which is making Australia so proud.

Laura Jayes: What about the men in the Olympics? I mean, we're so proud of all of our athletes, but does there need to be a little bit of focus, perhaps in the post-mortem after the Games, about why women were so dominant? Has there been less of a focus on men's sport? Do we not have the balance right?

Anne Ruston: Well, I think we need to focus on the whole range of sport, and that starts from grassroots participation of young people coming into the sport and making sure that they've got all of the opportunities. We also need to make sure we've got that feeder between participation into elite athletes. And we also need to make sure that our investment in our elite athletes is fair and equitable, but it's also - One thing I was very disappointed about in the lead up to the Games was how late the Federal Government came to the party to provide ongoing funding for our national sporting organisations who look after all these amazing athletes and these amazing teams. And it was somewhat disingenuous in terms of the announcements about what actually was being provided for new funding. And I think we have to give these athletes certainty, and maybe some of the stuff that we're seeing playing out in some of our teams in Paris is the fact that they haven't had the certainty that I think they deserved to make sure that they go to Paris with nothing on their mind, apart from doing their very best and participating at their highest possible standard. And that probably wasn't the case this time.

Laura Jayes: Well, I don't know. Something's working, especially for our women and especially for the women in the pool. But, Anne, let's talk about this $200 million in funding that was announced for women's sport at the height of the Matildas. I think it was a really great call for the Government at the time. Sometimes there is a little bit of lag in terms of getting the money to where it's actually needed. What has happened to that $200 million in this case? Why hasn't that money been spent yet?

Anne Ruston: Well, it's obviously a question you should be putting to the Government, because we know that there are hundreds and hundreds of sporting clubs around the country who have been filling out their applications and doing the paperwork, and we know that there's a lot of paperwork that goes into these applications. And, you know, one of the things I think that this government needs to understand is that, you know, being the Sports Minister and being in government is more than just a photo opportunity with an elite athlete. You've actually got to get out there and do the things you say you're going to do. I mean, we were delighted when the Government responded to our $250 million announcement for the Matildas, that they backed it in with this $200 million announcement. But an announcement isn't worth the paper it's written on unless these sporting clubs are actually getting access to the funding so that they can improve their facilities, so that young people can get out there and play sport. Because the most important thing about the Olympics, apart from the pride that our gold medallists and other medallists and our participants are providing to the country, is the inspiration it provides for young kids. And we want them to get off their iPads and their iPhones, and we want to get them out there running around a field or kicking a ball or going for a run. That's what this is all about.

Laura Jayes: I think the world was asking why Australia is so good at swimming. The obvious answer is, you know, we're an island - I don't know whether that means anything. Some of the memes on the internet were suggesting, you know, Harold Holt our Prime Minister went for a swim and we suspect he drowned, and now we're all paranoid. I wonder if you have a theory on that, Anne.

Anne Ruston: I'm not sure I'm going to subscribe to either of those theories, but I do think there's a big investment in the pool. And, you know, it has just been phenomenal to sit up late at night - I think we're all feeling a bit tired.

Laura Jayes: A little bit, yeah.

Anne Ruston: We've still got a week to go.

Laura Jayes: One of the things, more seriously, that we're going to have to grapple with, and I think it's been really hard over the last couple of days, is this Algerian boxer and the women's boxing. You have the International Boxing Federation who's Russian backed, which is not an insignificant fact to bring into this conversation here, who did these ad hoc gender tests, which the IOC said are illegitimate. And this woman has been - it's not a transgender issue, she's been a woman since birth. But these tests apparently showed that she has XY chromosomes. This is something that we're going to have to deal with when Brisbane rolls around. And it has been really heartbreaking to watch this athlete put through this whole furore. What do you think should happen?

Anne Ruston: Well, I mean, this is obviously a really, really complicated situation, and I think there's probably more that will come out over coming days around, you know, what's happened in the past and what's happening before us. But I think the broader issue here is around making sure, first and foremost, that our athletes are safe. So I think that has to be the first lens that any international organisation or any sporting organisation needs to put across how they are supporting and looking after their athletes. And once we've established that it's safe, then we have to make sure it's fair. And so, I think all of our international and all of our sporting bodies need to sit down and actually have this conversation outside of the emotion of what is playing out before us at the moment, and actually come up with a set of guidelines and frameworks and rules that are, first of all, making sure athletes are safe, and making sure that our sporting events are fair. Because I think these kinds of stories actually just, I suppose, they slightly sour what has been a fantastic Olympic Games, particularly for Australia.

Laura Jayes: Yeah, they have. Anne Ruston, and long may it continue. We'll see you soon.

Anne Ruston: Thanks, Laura.

ENDS