Gina Rinehart’s loss is Victoria’s gain in $15m netball deal

Netball’s new $15m sponsorship proves sporting teams no longer have to sit back and accept deals they find ethically repugnant.

Last week, netballers were told: “go woke, go broke”.

What a joke.

The securing of the $15m Visit Victoria sponsorship deal with Netball Australia shows teams no longer have to accept deals they find ethically repugnant.

The Andrews Government and Victorian taxpayers will foot the bill for elite and grassroots netball after an earlier deal with Hancock Prospecting fell through.

The company pulled out after the league’s only Indigenous player, Donnell Wallam, and her teammates initially refused to wear the mining giant’s logo. They objected to offensive views about Aborigines made by founder Lang Hancock in 1984.

Donnell Wallam stood up for what she believed in. Picture: Getty Images

Hancock’s daughter Gina Rinehart – Australia’s richest woman who now runs the company – could have distanced herself from the views but did not do so. Instead, she chose to walk away from the deal.

Her loss is Victoria’s gain and the government should be congratulated for its support of women’s sport.

It’s a shrewd political move at a time when the Andrews government is on the nose for its cruel handling of the world’s longest lockdowns.

It’s true that our state is billions in debt and should be prioritising expenditure to only essential items.

But it’s a furphy for the state opposition to suggest the money should be spent instead on fixing our triple-0 problems or rural hospitals.

Gina Rinehart could have distanced herself from her father’s views but instead withdrew her support.

The money has already been allocated to sponsorship by Visit Victoria so isn’t going to come out of the budget for any homeless shelter or hospital.

Thanks to institutions like the National Gallery of Victoria, and the locally dominated Australian Football League, this state has a long track record of claiming national icons as our own.

Netball is a national sport played by more than one million Australians and this deal will see Victoria become the home of the team, with matches and training camps held here.

Netballers will also appear in tourism campaigns to promote Victoria as a travel destination. The deal also means the 2023 Super Netball Grand Final will be held in Victoria.

With 2020-21 tourism spending down 69 per cent and total tourism losses of $215bn a year due to Covid, this is savvy spending bringing people to our state.

Having Visit Victoria insignia on the national Australian Diamonds uniforms is a logical extension of existing tourism deals that bring our branding to the attention of new audiences and potential customers.

While it’s a pity the hosting rights for the 2022 grand final have already been sold to WA, this is a small blip in a four-year package.

Mr Andrews called the deal, squeezed through before the caretaker conventions kick in, a “coup” for the state.

I agree.

With the state election only week away, Mr Andrews will need more than this to turn around the public perception that his government is arrogant and out of touch.

However, I can’t fault him on this deal, and as a Victorian taxpayer I am proud to have my hard-earned money go towards investing in our state and women’s sport.