Outgoing Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has doubled down on his claim that Indigenous former players acted unfairly in speaking to the media about allegations that senior club officials had mistreated them.
The comments came as the federal attorney-general answered questions about Hawthorn by referring to a new sporting integrity body focused on racial and cultural issues in sport. WorkSafe Victoria has also opened an investigation into the Hawthorn allegations.
Outgoing Hawks president Jeff KennettCredit:AFL Photos / Getty Images
Kennett said on Friday that the decision of the former players to tell their story through the ABC was “unfair to those” they had accused. And on Sunday he told radio station 3AW that the AFL “has a process in place that could have resolved this confidentially and in the interests of all parties.
“But the families, who have been involved themselves in a confidential process, went and spoke to the ABC and sadly, having asked for – and we respected the confidentiality of them and their names – they then went and named those they had grievances with. And that took the process to a different level.”
Kennett said he was confident WorkSafe would be “very impressed” with the club’s processes.
“I’m not worried about that at all, that’s just part of the process, and they’re entitled to come in and have a look. As I said, this same survey said that we are a culturally safe, sound workplace,” he said.
Asked about the Hawthorn controversy, Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus referred to a new division of the government’s sports watchdog, Sport Integrity Australia, which will be beefed up to police broader problems such as racism and sexual abuse.
Federal Sports Minister Anika Wells announced the “safety in sport” initiative on Friday, but denied the racism allegations facing the Hawthorn Football Club prompted the timing of the announcement.
“I had intended to do this for some time. It’s just taken all of us getting together to be able to announce it today,” she said. “However, I do think it’s timely because … it’s in the news. These things continue to happen.”
The integrity division will be launched by the federal government and Sport Integrity Australia in January after SIA’s existing 1300 hotline was inundated with reports of abuse in sport. Historical allegations of abuse will not be investigated by the safety in sport division.
Dreyfus said the Hawthorn allegations were “shocking”.
“So these abuses of power in sport, which we’re now seeing not just in football in the AFL, but in other sports as well, are a real concern going from junior right up to elite levels.”
The new division of Sports Integrity Australia was “going to be a start” in addressing wrongdoing, he said, emphasising that: “At the moment, the AFL are conducting an independent inquiry.”
The players have expressed reluctance to be involved with the AFL inquiry, and want an unspecified independent process. So far, a panel for the AFL inquiry is yet to be decided.
The new arm of Sport Integrity Australia will include an expansion of the hotline, including an anonymous reporting capability focusing on wider racial and cultural issues in sport. A deputy CEO will be hired early next year to helm the division. Since the hotline’s launch in July 2020, 1300 complaints have been made and 117 of those have been referred to law enforcement.
In response to questions about why the racism allegations with the AFL are not treated with the same urgency as sexual abuse allegations, Wells pointed to athletes’ reluctance to report.
“What we’re doing here is making sure that it’s athlete or administrator-led. In the vast majority of instances, people don’t want a formal legal outcome. They just want to continue to play the sport that they love or to work in the sport that they love,” Wells said.
Wells said the government was keeping a close eye on the AFL’s investigation but had no plans to take over.
Former Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson and former football manager Chris Fagan – the two men facing accusations of racism from their time at Hawthorn – have denied any wrongdoing and have taken a leave of absence from their current roles. The AFL and AFL Players Association were contacted for comment.
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