Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has vowed to boost the amount of women's sport on the ABC's TV and digital channels by 500 hours, saying it was time female athletes receive the same treatment as men.

Mr Shorten said it was lamentable that - despite the recent success of Australia's female cricket, soccer and netball teams - women's sport only makes up seven per cent of the sport broadcast on Australian television.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten meets with soccer players from the Canberra United Academy during a visit to the University of Canberra. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

"It is important that our women athletes get equal treatment to our men," Mr Shorten said on Sunday.

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"It is important generally in Australian society that Australian women get an equal go as compared to Australian men. 

"One of the greatest proponents of giving women's sport a better deal are dads - they want to see their daughters getting the same coverage as their sons get."

Diamonds skipper Laura Geitz with the Netball World Cup. Photo: Brendan Esposito

Asked to name the captains of the Australian women's cricket, hockey and netball teams, Mr Shorten successfully named Diamonds netball captain Laura Geitz.

​He got close by identifying Amanda Lanning as the captain of the Southern Stars cricket team (Meg Lanning is the captain) but could not name Hockeyroos captain Madonna Blyth.

Labor's policy would see an extra $21 million flow to the ABC over four years if the party is elected on July 2.

Southern Stars captain Meg Lanning. Photo: Getty Images

The Australian Diamonds won the Netball World Cup last year and the Southern Stars won the women's Ashes.

The ABC pulled back on its sports coverage, including of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), after the Abbott government cut its budget by $250 million in 2014.

Labor communications spokesman Jason Clare said the money was not to be used for the ABC to bid against commercial networks for sporting rights. 

"This is not about competing with commercial networks - it is about giving funds to the ABC to apply for the broadcasting rights of these sports where Channel Seven, Nine, Ten, or Foxtel decides not to purchase those rights."

Labor has identified the women's cricket world cup, hockey world cup, basketball world cup, the WNBL and Asian Cup as tournaments where the money could be spent. 

The ABC could also use the money to develop a dedicated women's sports portal on its iView digital streaming service. 

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will on Sunday announce a plan to combat obesity by providing an extra $60 million for school sports programs.

More than 5000 schools have taken part in the Sporting Schools Program since it started a year ago. 

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