Lisa Wilkinson has lashed suggestions from Gina Rinehart that sport and politics can be separated as netball’s sponsorship crisis continues to swirl.
Wilkinson on Sunday night dropped a truth bomb on the mining magnate and her Hancock Prospecting company after the iron ore giant suddenly tore up its $15 million deal with Netball Australia on Saturday.
The popular TV host told The Project Rinehart’s claims were clueless.
It comes as the scandal took another turn on Sunday night with revelations Indigenous netball star Donnell Wallam has been left distressed and devastated by Hancock Prospecting’s bombshell exit from the sport.
Wallam was at the centre of player pushback to the proposed sponsorship with reports she was uncomfortable with wearing the Hancock Prospecting logo on her uniform for her Diamonds debut against England on Wednesday night.
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The 28-year-old’s concerns revolve around comments made by Rinehart’s father Lang Hancock in the 1980s that sterilisation should be used to solve ‘the Aboriginal problem’.
Gina Rinehart has never made any public comments on her late father’s views.
However in the face of intense pressure, Wallam decided on Friday she would wear the logo on her uniform for her international debut.
In the end all Wallam’s deliberations and soul-searching were in vain as Hancock Prospecting withdrew its funding a day after the goal shooter made it clear she would wear the logo.
The shock decision by Rinehart’s company, which came along with a scathing statement from the mining magnate, left Wallam devastated according to reports.
It is the secondary statement issued by Rinehart’s company that Wilkinson took aim at on Sunday night.
“The idea that sport and politics and issues of social justice can be completely separated is really naive,” she said.
“You think back to the Australian teams that wouldn’t tour South Africa during the Apartheid era. You even think about things like big tobacco used to sponsor the NRL. It was called the Winfield Cup.”
Co-host Hamish Macdonald compared it to recent sporting scandals where Sea Eagles players refused to wear a one-off rainbow Pride jersey on religious grounds, while Andrew Thorburn last month resigned as Essendon chief executive after one day as a result of links to a Christian church that previously published comments which equated abortion with concentration camps and claimed “practising homosexuality is a sin”.
Macdonald said he was “surprised” the organisations had failed to address the divide before it played out in public.
“In each of those circumstances it seems like the club or the code hasn’t quite done enough thinking about the culture within the organisation or the sport and had the conversations that might be necessary to make those things possible,” he said.
“You know, obviously the points made here, why didn’t they have a conversation about discussing what had been said in the past?
“And dealing with that up front. I mean, you can understand how for an Indigenous player it would be very difficult to wear a logo like that.”
The mining giant stuck the boot in further, saying “Hancock and its executive chairman Mrs Rinehart consider that it is unnecessary for sports organisations to be used as the vehicle for social or political causes”.
“Firstly, because sport is at its best when it is focused on good and fair competition, with dedicated athletes striving for excellence to achieve their sporting dreams and to represent our country at their very best,” the statement said.
“Secondly, because there are more targeted and genuine ways to progress social or political causes without virtue signalling or for self-publicity. For example, the meaningful engagement with local Indigenous communities undertaken by Hancock’s Roy Hill Community Foundation in West Australia to support their actual needs.
“Thirdly, because there are more impactful means to make a beneficial difference. For example, Hancock’s holistic support for real programs including Hanrine Futures — that are providing a true pathway for Indigenous students through education and into employment where they are guaranteed a job should they wish, at the end of their training.”
Rinehart’s earlier statement said she only wanted to continue the partnership if players had pride in wearing the company’s logo.
“The reality is that sponsorship is integral to sports organisations — for full-time professionals right through to young children at the grassroots level — who rely on corporations investing the funds that enable all sports to not only survive, but thrive.
“Sadly, recent media does not help encourage sporting sponsorships. What can be lacking is a sufficient connection between sponsorship funds and the athletes themselves, with money unnecessarily wasted on administration and related costs. Which is why Hancock has, and will continue to insist, that the funds it provides to any sports it sponsors are spent on and for the athletes.
“Neither Hancock nor Mrs Rinehart have ever requested or insisted that athletes provide any thank you videos or messages — although thank you videos and messages have certainly been received. Hancock and Mrs Rinehart would only ever want athletes to wear the Hancock logo if the athletes were proud to do so.
“Recent media misreporting has been disappointing, particularly given at no stage did Hancock insist its logo be worn on the Australian Diamonds‘ playing dress for the recent games in New Zealand, nor did the Australian Diamonds refuse to wear the Hancock logo.”
Netball Australia Players Association boss Kathryn Harby-Williams was scathing of the decision by netball’s administrators not to give Wallam an exemption allowing her to not wear the logo.
“In the end Donnell sought an exemption for herself and that wasn’t forthcoming because there was a meeting during the week, last week, where it was made very clear that no exemptions would be given to any of the players,” Harby-Williams told ABC Grandstand.
“And that was a disappointing moment because the players thought at the very least that Donnell would be granted an exemption at that point in time.
“One of our First Nations players had a conscientious objection to just three games to ask for an exemption in the end not to wear that logo … there’s a precedence in other sports where exemptions been given. I would have thought and hoped for Donnell that exemption would be provided.
“It got to the point where Donnell was then actually going to agree to wear the dress and that was simply because the pressure was too much for her to bear and as a sport I think that should be extremely disappointing for everybody.”
Harby-Williams said the unrelenting pressure ahead of Saturday’s bombshell announcement almost saw Wallam decide to stand down from her stance and wear the Hancock Prospecting logo.
“It got to the point where Donnell was going to agree to wear the dress because the pressure was too much to bear,” Harby-Williams said.
“As a sport, I think that should be extremely disappointing for everybody because we need to do better and be inclusive, with no fear of reprisal.”
After a week of controversy, Hancock Prospecting finally pulled the plug, saying in a statement on Saturday that it had “not been made aware” of the issues between Netball Australia and the Players Association and did “not wish to add to netball’s disunity problems”.
Netball Australia said on Saturday it was “disappointed” by the decision.
