Remarks at EX FOL site ground breaking event in Port Vila

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Port Vila, Vanuatu

I want to thank the Minister for Education and Skills, and the Vanuatu Government for hosting us here. It's great to be here, especially - girls, thank you for your introductions. It's great to hear about all the positions you're playing and I hear the Matildas are coming next week, to play on Tuesday. I think they're playing on Tuesday. So this is very special, this is from our team in Paris.

But from our Government's perspective, our help in terms of sports links between our two countries is sometimes the most important thing we can be doing. Playing sport with each other, getting to know each other, helping develop sports in both countries, we find that to be the best way that we can build on the long partnership we've got between Vanuatu and Australia. And, of course what you're doing right here, the hard work that we did, as Ministers, in breaking the ground and getting all that going. But rebuilding this wonderful facility you're going to have here is going to be so important for sport.

To all the workers as well, thank you for the work you're doing on this project. It's going to be very important, this project, so we really appreciate the work that you're putting in. We're very happy to help make sure you have good facilities and can play very well.

Hopefully one day, girls, you'll be able to be playing in some competitions. Hopefully you'll be able to beat Australia as well. That would be good to see. Everyone likes beating us, and we all like beating New Zealand, and we all like beating England at everything. So there's always a hierarchy.

Look it's fabulous to be here today. Thanks for the warm welcome and the reception. And we're really privileged to hand this over to you. So this is a very special jersey, I'd like to have it myself, but our senior team has signed this from Paris, and they came eighth obviously. Eighth in the world - they did very well over there, and had a great time. As you know your soccer representatives from your Federation here were there in Paris. I think they enjoyed it very much.

So, please, without further ado, I'd like you to come forward and we'll present you with this jersey as well.

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