WESTERN
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT — GYMNASTS
52. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Sport and
Recreation:
I refer to the recent findings of the Australian Human Rights
Commission's report into Gymnastics Australia and the response provided
by the Western Australian Institute of Sport board on Tuesday, 4 May.
(1) When was the minister first made aware of these matters?
(2) Is the
minister satisfied with the response provided by WAIS, particularly for those
athletes subjected to such behaviour in the elite program in Western Australia?
Dr A.D. BUTI replied:
Thank
you, Madam Speaker, and congratulations on your elevation to a historic position
as the first woman Speaker. And congratulations, member for Roe, not for
your re-election but for having the honour of asking me my first question
without notice!
(1)–(2) Obviously,
the member is referring to the Australian Human Rights Commission's
report that came out on Monday named Change
the routine: Report on the independent review into gymnastics in Australia 2021.
It had five findings and 12 recommendations, which included a recommendation in
respect of an apology, which Gymnastics Australia made on Monday and then WAIS
made an apology on Tuesday.
One of the member's questions
was: when did I become aware of this? Within a week of my elevation—or
instalment or appointment—to this role as the Minister for Sport and
Recreation, I received a briefing note and as a result of that I held
discussions with WAIS, which informed me it was in discussions with the
gymnasts in respect of establishing terms of reference for an inquiry with
Sport Integrity Australia and that there was also an ongoing inquiry by the
Australian Human Rights Commission.
I
have met the gymnasts. I met a representative of the gymnasts prior to the
release of the Australian Human Rights
Commission report. We also had a function at Parliament on Wednesday with a group
of gymnasts. On whether I am satisfied with the response from the Western
Australian Institute of Sport, I have to tell the member that it has come a long
way in three or four weeks. I can assure him of that. The apology that was made
on Tuesday, of course, will not satisfy everyone, but that is at least the
first stage of a process.
The member may be interested to know
about the relationship that the government has with WAIS. WAIS is actually an
incorporated association that is subject to the provisions of the Associations
Incorporation Act 2015. As a matter of law,
it is a corporate entity that is completely independent from state government.
Interestingly, WAIS is listed in schedule 1 of the Financial Management Act and
has to table its annual report in Parliament, but the Minister for Sport and
Recreation has the legal ability only to appoint board members—that is
it. I am not overly happy that we spend a considerable amount of money financing
WAIS—85 per cent of its annual budget comes from state funding—but
the power of the minister is quite limited. I do intend to look into that
matter. I think it is very important.
As
the member for Roe would probably know, the Western Australian Institute of
Sport was set up in 1984. The
Australian Institute of Sport was set up after we did not win any gold medals
at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. When WAIS was set up in 1984, the idea
was to try to decentralise some of the programs from Canberra, where the Australian Institute of Sport is based. In the
mid-1990s, the Australian Institute of Sport tried to move all
gymnastics programs to Canberra. Wally Foreman, as the director of WAIS,
resisted that and we were able to keep the
gymnastics program in Western Australia. One would have thought it was a good
idea to keep very young athletes at home, but the allegations that have been
aired by these gymnasts and by the ones who I have met are very distressing—incredibly
distressing. The McGowan government and I, as the minister, are saddened by
those allegations of abuse and the details that have been provided. I look
forward to WAIS and the gymnasts settling on the terms of reference for the
inquiry by Sport Integrity Australia. That, of course, will guide any future
response into this matter from me and the government.