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Kate is passionate about contributing to public debate on a wide range of important issues. Here are some of the issues she has touched on in the past.
- Should successful athletes have to pay back the AIS 10 Jun 2009
- Let's give youth voice now for a better future 12 Oct 2008
- Organ donation it's the greatest gift of all 21 Sep 2008
- Is safe sex message falling on deaf ears 31 Aug 2008
- Grassroots funding is key to Olympic glorys 10 Aug 2008
- Easy to overlook big issue of homelessness 20 Jul 2008
- Trailblazer Natasha leaves lasting legacy 29 Jun 2008
- Heavy hitters boost our World Cup hopes 01 Jun 2008
- Youth Forum Discussion Paper 17 May 2008
- We can't take sport for granted 11 May 2008
- Women truly can do anything be anything 20 Apr 2008
- Let the Games begin with all our athletes 30 Mar 2008
- Proud past but future a challenge for women 09 Mar 2008
- Young people will be heard at highest level 17 Feb 2008
- Our nation has changed dramatically in three weeks 16 Dec 2007
- Mobile Phone Towers 23 Sep 2007
- Bradken Foundry 01 Jul 2007
- Full Fees 03 Jun 2007
- Eating Disorders 17 Dec 2006
- Iraq 27 Jul 2006
- Electoral Laws 26 Jun 2006
- Dental 08 Jan 2006
- Make Poverty History 18 Sep 2005
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Media Releases
2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 200813 Mar 2008 - Deakes and Meares share AIS Athlete of the Year
Race walker Nathan Deakes and cyclist Anna Meares were today named joint winners of the prestigious Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Athlete of the Year award.
PDF printable version of Deakes and Meares share AIS Athlete of the Year (PDF 36 KB)Announcing the winners in Canberra, the Minister for Sport, Kate Ellis, praised both athletes for their outstanding performances over the past 12 months.
"Nathan and Anna have proven themselves to be world-class champions and conducted themselves with dignity and honour," Ms Ellis said.
"Both have suffered injuries over the year. I especially wish Anna a speedy recovery from her serious injury so she can compete at the Beijing Olympics."
Ms Ellis said 2008 was going to be a particularly big year in the lives of all athletes who were striving to gain selection in Australia's Olympic and Paralympic teams.
Nathan Deakes, an AIS scholarship holder since 1997, claimed gold for Australia when he won the 50 kilometre walk event at last year's World Athletics Championships in Osaka.
The 30-year-old, who has already qualified for the Beijing Olympics, smashed the 50 km world record with a time of 3:35:47 at the Australian Championships in Geelong late last year.
Anna Meares, 23, won the 500 m individual time trial at last year's World Track Cycling Championships in Spain, breaking her own world record, which she had set at the Sydney World Cup four months earlier.
An Athens gold medallist, Ms Meares also won bronze medals at the world championships in the keirin and team sprint, where she combined with WAIS rider Kristine Bayley.
Other notable nominees for the AIS Athlete of the Year award were Tom Slingsby (sailing) and Dale Begg-Smith (freestyle mogul-skiing).
Winners of other awards announced today were:- Malcolm Page / Nathan Wilmot (sailing) - AIS Team of the Year
- Craig Hilliard (track and field) - AIS Coach of the Year
- Gemma Beadsworth (water polo) - AIS Junior Athlete of the Year
- AIS Sailing - AIS Program of the Year.