Senator Steve Martin has laid a tackle on the AFL in his maiden speech to Parliament.
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While AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan attended meetings with Tasmanian AFL executives on Wednesday, Tasmanian Senator Martin criticised the ceo for “dragging his heels for months”, and taking too long to “help staunch the bleeding,” of a footy “crisis”.
Senator Martin said a new business plan for AFL in Tasmania was sorely needed, and would assist to “jump-start” a dwindling presence of the sport.
He said the state of football in Tasmania had become a “disgrace”.
“I am prepared to use all the moral and political weight of my office to [work on the issue],” Senator Martin said.
“To the AFL, we are … a market taken for granted.”
Senator Martin said state football played a crucial role in making players more employable, socially connected, and motivated to succeed.
He said state and federal governments must cooperate to reduce Tasmania’s economic barriers, and boost education and employment outcomes.
“If we are to boost workforce participation and productivity; if we are to enjoy a future in which we are healthy, wealthy and wise; the challenge falls largely on education,” Senator Martin said.
“Education has long been a difficult issue in Tasmania. Much of this comes down to an overly fragmented schooling system.”
Senator Martin said he would never support cuts to education, and would extend his ‘Books for Babies’ program, which provides free books to newborn Tasmanians.
He said improving education outcomes required a shift in culture, and he felt too many Tasmanians were skipping years 11 and 12.
In a list of acknowledgements, Mr Martin briefly mentioned Jacqui Lambie and the support he received from the Jacqui Lambie Network.
He said he was “proud to have set an important legal precedent,” after referring himself to the High Court to determine his Senate eligibility.
Referring to an article published in The Advocate earlier this month, Senator Martin extended on a comparison to the 2002 Olympic fluke of Australian speed-skater Steven Bradbury.
He said there was a hidden moral in Bradbury’s unlikely success story.
“It’s about having a dream, backing yourself against the odds, and giving things a red-hot go,” Senator Martin said.
“We now have a small army of Bradbury’s in this chamber, thanks to Section 44 of the Constitution.”
Senator Martin said Tasmanians “had a uniquely off-beat culture and a dry sense of humour,”.
He acknowledged his experience as Devonport Mayor and a North-West Coast small business owner.
“None of this was served up on a plate – all of it took hard work; all of it took a willingness to take a risk on what seemed at the time like distant and unlikely outcomes,” Senator Martin said.
Senator Martin also highlighted the importance of strengthening Tasmania’s biosecurity processes, extending the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme and his support for the Turnbull Government’s tax cuts for big companies.