I take this opportunity to congratulate Grace O’Dwyer, a 15-year-old Ballarat schoolgirl, on her remarkable win at the prestigious Stawell Women’s Gift on Easter Monday. Grace achieved the time of just 13.40 seconds in a race that was clearly special for her and her family, with her father Peter O’Dwyer a veteran of the Stawell Gift.
This year’s race marks the first time equal prize money was offered to both male and female athletes. I congratulate Australia Post on increasing the women’s prize pool tenfold to bring it in line with the men’s prize pool. This change is paving the way for further gender equality and will influence other events and competitions to make similar adjustments.