Tennis Australia ‘Pacific Showcase’ Dinner

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin nation.

I pay my respect to Elders, past and present.

I also acknowledge any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here with us today.

I love Summer in Melbourne – it's one of my favourite times of the year.

It’s a privilege to be able to enjoy a thrilling cricket series, followed by the Australian Open, when all the world’s best come to Melbourne.

Australians and our friends from all around the world alike are treated to an ongoing, almost non-stop, Australia-hosted sporting festival.

One of the most pleasing developments in sports has been the way elite women’s sports are finally, very much belatedly, being seen on the same level as men’s sports.

Tennis has been a global leader on this front for decades.

The US Open was the first sporting event to offer equal prize money for its male and female competitors in 1973.

Now all four major tennis tournaments offer equal prize money and it’s great to see other sports catching up.

There are Australian kids out there today who, if you ask them to name the national football team, the first name that comes to mind is the Matildas.

It’s a great sign of progress for our country and a testament to the tenacity and resilience that women in sport have shown.

And interest in women’s sports continues to grow.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2023, was the most viewed women’s sports event in history – with global reaching nearly two billion viewers around the world.

The hotly contested Women’s Ashes cricket series will culminate with the first-ever Day-Night Test Match held at the MCG which will also be the first Women's Test Match at the MCG in more than 75 years!

Tennis remains a leader in gender equality, and continues to play a key leadership role, including in the Pacific where our connections through sport bring us closer together.

There is an inspirational story behind each and every athlete, coach and official, of the work they have had to put in to make it onto the court, or the field.

Stories of grassroots programs supporting participants achieve their dreams and goals.

We can see that in the PacificAus Sports - Tennis Australia partnership, which has delivered the Pacific Women and Girls in Tennis program since 2022.

This includes the Pacific Women Leaders in Tennis initiative, which is empowering emerging women leaders in sport to take the next steps in their careers.

This isn’t just about lifting players to be their best.

It is building the capacity of women coaches and officials throughout the region – from the grassroots community level through to elite competition and providing talent pathways for Pacific girls and women to stay and excel in tennis in a range of different capacities.

The 11 remarkable women here today graduating from the 2024-25 Pacific Women Leaders in Tennis Program are already making important contributions as leaders.

They are role models in their communities and are inspiring other women and girls to get involved.

As Billie Jean King put it, “You have to see it to be it”.

I’m sure you’re all looking forward to the panel discussion in a few minutes, which will feature some inspiring young tennis stars from the Pacific.

Ruby Coffin will be on this evening’s panel.

Ruby is an inspiring tennis player from Fiji currently working with Tennis Australia to transition to a coaching career under the PacificAus Sports program.

Now she’s working with a rising star from Papua New Guinea, Colita Hakena.

Daisy Rose Sipiti, from Vanuatu, will also be on the panel.

Daisy has participated in tennis tournaments as a youth player, including at the national level.

She has also worked with the Vanuatu Tennis Association as a Development Officer, supporting athletes and helping to grow the sport in Vanuatu.

Daisy is one of the 11 women graduating from the Pacific Women Leaders in Tennis program this month.

She is also studying in Australia under the Australia Awards program – an Australian Government scholarship program – and has been selected to take part in the Women Leading and Influencing program as part of this.

Daisy is studying a Bachelor of Business degree at Victoria University and on return to Vanuatu, aims to empower women to recognise their strengths and exercise leadership in the community.

The program is focused on building this, and the next, generations of female sports leaders across the Pacific.

These stories are a reminder of the power of sport.

Sport opens doors.

It starts conversations.

It is a powerful connector – both within and across communities.

It crosses borders and brings different cultures together.

It brings people like us here today together.

This annual spotlight on our part of the world is an opportunity to showcase to the world the amazing ability of Australian and Pacific athletes, coaches, administrators and sports authorities.

Australia isn’t just great at sport.

We are world leaders in high performance, sports administration, sports integrity, sports business, sports technology, events management and beyond.

And we’re always looking for more ways to draw on sport to bring people together.

International interest in sports in Australia is growing as we journey through the Green and Gold decade of major sporting events to be hosted on home soil in the leadup to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This is not just an opportunity for Australian sports, it’s an opportunity for our nation and the Pacific more broadly.

It offers us a platform for engagement with the world.

We intend to use that platform to bring people together and build relationships with international partners, to foster international understandings of our country and our region to advance our interests and values.

Diplomacy isn’t just something happening in distant capitals.

It's the opportunity to advance Pacific agendas – like climate change – through all sorts of mechanisms, across society.

That includes sport.

This is why the Albanese Government is updating Australia’s Sports Diplomacy strategy – to ensure we capture the international opportunities that this decade of sport will bring.

Sport has helped advance the cause of gender equality over the decades and it will be a great platform for tackling further challenges in the years ahead.

In the meantime, of course, it is first and foremost a fantastic, positive contributor to our societies.