Peter Dutton has refused a proposed public holiday if the Matildas win the Fifa Women’s World Cup, claiming it is a “stunt” and “ego trip” for the prime minister.
The opposition leader and the shadow sports minister, Anne Ruston, argued that the holiday could cost the economy a whopping $2bn.
Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The National Briefing – keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:
In a joint statement with Ms Ruston, Mr Dutton pledged the Coalition’s commitment to improve sporting infrastructure through grants of $250 million.
“In terms of the public holiday, I’m not supportive of it because it’s a $2bn cost to the economy, and it’s at a time when small business I don’t think can afford it,” Mr Dutton said on the Today Show.
“The better idea is what we’ve proposed today, and that is money to provide support to increase female participation.”
He said this would be a better and more lasting proposal than the Prime Minister’s “public holiday ego trip”.
The Coalition’s proposal aims to reduce the “barriers to participation for women and girls” and “increase accessibility and improve local facilities for children around Australia”.
The proposed funding boost would be implemented only with the re-election of a Liberal-National Coalition government.
“Whilst our investment won’t be contingent on State and Territory government investment, we would encourage the States and Territories to match our investment to bring the total to $500 million,” the Opposition MPs said.
In the past few weeks, Mr Albanes has praised the Matildas for their success at the World Cup and indicated that if they win the tournament, he will propose the holiday to other leaders at a National Cabinet meeting.
On Monday, Mr Albanese said the proposal got “a pretty warm reception in most quarters”, and the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said his state would follow the decision.
Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on Listnr today. The Briefing serves up the latest news headlines and a deep dive into a topic affecting you. All in under 20 minutes.