Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House former Cowboys player and NRL star Matt Bowen is one of the greatest legends of North Queensland sport. He was the NRL's top try-scorer in the 2005 and 2007 seasons, and he also still holds the Cowboy’s record for most played matches. Two-time premiership winning coach Phil Gould said in 2005 that he was a "modern-day icon of the game", and his talent and ethics have made him one of the greatest Australian league players in recent decades. Though he has now retired from the game, Matt Bowen remains committed to developing a love of sport and creating a bright future for children across North and North West Queensland and he regularly works and volunteers in this space. He is an icon in the North, and the ultimate role model for young indigenous kids and North Queenslanders in general, being a product of the North. He was born in North Queensland and had a highly successful career in the NRL, without having to move south to create his legacy. He is proof to all North Queenslanders that success can be earned here at home. His efforts over the past two decades, on and off the field, deserved to be acknowledged formally at the new North Queensland Stadium.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to do all with its power to commission and install a statue of Matt Bowen at the new North Queensland Stadium.