Sport Legislation Amendment (World Anti-Doping Code Implementation) Bill 2026
Mr VIOLI (Casey) (18:14): The Sport Legislation Amendment (World Anti-Doping Code Implementation) Bill 2026 is important legislation because sport is at the heart of all our communities. We all look up to our national athletes, whether it was the Socceroos that did so well at the World Cup or the Matildas that have represented us with such pride. I know, growing up, Cathy Freeman winning gold at the 2000 Olympics was a key memory.
I remember cheering her on as she won that medal. Those national conversations are important. Our club sports, like AFL, are part of WADA, so I have to take the opportunity to talk about the 2023 Collingwood premiership.
That was an important memory for me that I enjoyed. The AFL do make sure that they follow the WADA code, because we need to know that when we play sport the athletes are clean and everyone that does the work has an equal chance for success. The reason we need to make sure that the sports are clean is that what happens at a national level, at an AFL level or at an NRL level, flows down to our young people and to our communities.
Community sport has been a huge part of my journey to this place—I spoke about the Healesville Cricket Club and the Mooroolbark Soccer Club in my first speech—and it is a huge part of so many communities in the seat of Casey. Sporting clubs are not just about winning and losing, and it's not just about the facilities; it's about the people that are involved in making those clubs tick.
That's why I played. That's why so many people play—because of the people you meet, the friendships you make and the bonds that last a lifetime, knowing that, if you're in trouble, they'll come and help you, and, if they're in trouble, you will help them. I want to take this moment, as we talk about sport, to pay tribute to Paul 'Dorz' Dorian, a great friend of mine who we tragically lost two weeks ago to cancer, at 47.
Dorz and I played together at the Mount Lilydale Old Collegians. We then transferred to the new Lilydale Montrose United Football Club. Dorz also was the president of the club and coached many teams, including my daughter's team.
He was the founder and the driving force behind the St Marys soccer team, which was a futsal team playing indoor soccer in Mount Evelyn. He put in time and effort so that many young people could learn the beautiful game of soccer and futsal. He made sure that they got to experience the joy of winning, that they understood the pain of defeat, but that defeat was just a lesson to grow.
Paul had a personality that, as someone said at his celebration last Friday, made you feel seen. When you were with Paul Dorian it felt like you were the most important person in the world. The reason that Paul was able to make you feel like the most important person in the world is that, in that moment when he spoke to you, you were the most important person in the world.
He was present. He was engaged. He had a smile and a personality that lit up the room.
He gave so much back to the sporting community, whether it was his time playing at the Mooroolbark Soccer Club, his time at the Lilydale Montrose United Football Club or his time at the Mount Lilydale Old Collegians. He was the best of the best. He represents everything that I love about community sport.
There are so many Paul Dorians throughout the country, and that's why we love sport. We had a celebration last Friday. There were over two hours of stories about Paul, many that left my 11-year-old daughter with some questions about what they meant—luckily they went over her head—and many that are not parliamentary, but it was a tribute to a great man.
The hall was overflowing with soccer jerseys and colour to celebrate Paul. His wife, Ilona, spoke so well about the love of her life—the man she met in high school, the man that had had such a profound impact on her life, and how much he meant to her. His children Josh and Emily spoke so well about their dad.
His son Sam, who's the same age as my daughter, 11, and goes to school with her, didn't speak, but he represented the family, with courage, so well. Josh performed some musical tributes, because Paul was one of those annoying people who was really good at a lot of things. He was a gun at soccer and then, when he picked up a guitar, he was a natural at that.
Josh, his son, definitely got the musical gene from his family. They represented their family so well, but we know that grief and pain do not just disappear. While the celebration was on Friday, we gathered on Sunday for the inaugural Dorz Memorial Cup.
The Lilydale Montrose United community rallied at the Keith Hume Fraser Reserve as 20 or 30 teams, hundreds of people, played soccer to pay tribute to Paul Dorian. The weather was beautiful, which was all we could have asked for. I want to finish by saying to Ilona and the family: we love you, we're with you, we've been with you through this journey of over five years and we will continue to be with you to support you, as we know there are unfortunately tough times ahead.
I want to put on the record, on the Hansard, the greatness that was and is Paul 'Dorz' Dorian. May he rest in peace. Community sport is so important.
It is about people. People make a difference to all community sports, but infrastructure makes a difference as well. Having really modern, fresh infrastructure is important for our communities.
We have seen—and my daughter is a perfect example of this—an explosion of young women, girls and older women in veterans teams playing sport and getting the opportunity to make sure that they can compete and learn all the valuable lessons from sport. That's why we have seen this growth in numbers, but we haven't seen infrastructure keep up. I was proud as the candidate in 2022 and as the member of parliament in 2025 to make commitments to upgrade the Mooroolbark Heights Reserve and make sure they get the facilities that they need and they deserve.
While I was lucky enough to win my seat, unfortunately we weren't able to form government, so we could not deliver on those facilities. But a Jess Wilson led Victorian government working with David Hodgett, the current member, and Toby Wooldridge—the Liberal candidate for Croydon—understand and know how important those facilities are. That's why I was really excited and proud that they announced $6.5 million to upgrade the reserve to make sure that the Mooroolbark Football Club, the Mooroolbark Junior Football Club and the Mooroolbark Cricket Club could get the funding that they need to upgrade those facilities.
Well done to Jess Wilson and the team. There are only a few more weeks to go until the 28 November election. We will be watching with interest, and hopefully the Mooroolbark community can get those facilities that they deserve.
People and infrastructure matter when it comes to local sport. How we legislate that so people have confidence in our athletes matters as well. This legislation is important because every six years we update the WADA code.
We make sure that it is fit for purpose and that our athletes competing at the cutting edge and those wanting to become cutting edge adhere to standards across Australia and across the country. This legislation will update that to make sure that the WADA code is implemented in Australia. It is supported by the coalition because it is an important piece of legislation.
Australia is a great sporting nation, and we need to ensure that we continue to keep integrity in sport so those young people, when they watch their athletes, don't have to be disappointed in the future to find out that they weren't competing at their best. Sport has been a huge part of my life. It's a huge part of the Casey community.
It's a huge part of the Australian story. I'm glad that I can be here to support this legislation and make sure that we keep integrity in sport in Australia and also across the globe.