Equal Pay for Equal Play: Mick Fanning, Steph Gilmore call to stop funding unless sports offer prizemoney parity

Just 20,000 signatures could be all that’s needed to help close the prizemoney gender pay gap in sports clubs and competitions. Two surfing greats are certainly on board.

Aussie surfing icons Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore have joined News Corp in backing a campaign for equal prizemoney for men and women in sport, and urged for the scheme to go national.

The Equal Pay for Equal Play petition, launched in NSW last month, calls for new regulation surrounding state government funding for sporting clubs.

Under the suggested change, any NSW sports club or organisation applying for government grants or financial assistance must also show it offers equal prizemoney, opportunities and facilities for men and women who compete in equivalent divisions of the same competition.

Steph Gilmore wants equal prizemoney particularly when it comes to government funding.

Seven-time world champion Gilmore said the petition’s call for equality “not only feels right, it is right”.

“There is only one option going forward - equality - especially when it comes to sport earnings and funding,” she said.

“Particularly when it comes to public funding, gender equity should be mandatory. If we can build these practices from grassroots, it will become the norm and, in turn, ingrain this as a basic principle that hopefully reaches areas far beyond sport.”

Gilmore is one of Australia’s most successful surfers of any gender.

She said the World Surf League’s move to mandate equal prizemoney in 2020 at surfing’s highest competitive levels showed the positive impact gender parity could have for any level of sport.

“In the two years following pay equity being implemented at the WSL, there has been a shift in respect, marketing efforts, and general engagement of voices listened to. The shift has been

undeniable,” she said.

“Change has to start somewhere, and public sport is a great place to do it.”

Mick Fanning has called for grassroots surfing to offer Equal Pay for Equal Play.

Three-time men’s world champion Fanning also voiced his support and is the first high-profile male surfer to put his name to the campaign.

He said he was right behind the Equal Pay for Equal Play petition because “I’ve seen the results”.

“When you look at women’s surfing at the elite level on the WSL Championship Tour, there’s been a dramatic evolution in performance and marketability of the athletes since equal pay was introduced,” he said.

“There’s also been an incredible increase in phenomenal emerging talent in the junior women’s surfing ranks internationally.

“If that’s the flow-on result of parity at the top level in surfing, we should adopt the same standards at the grassroots level across all sports to give equal opportunity to everyone.”

Under NSW rules governing ePetitions, the government must discuss the issue in parliament if the equal pay petition receives 20,000 signatures.

The petition must reach 20,000 signatures by December 1 to be acknowledged and debated by the Lower House.

GWS skipper Alicia Eva has already added her name to the petition.

Several other high-profile surfers and athletes have already added their names to the petition,

including AFLW players Alicia Eva and Chloe Dalton, Hockeyroos Kalindi Commerford and Madison Fitzpatrick, and former Sydney Swan Brandon Jack.

Greens MP Abigail Boyd’s motion to the Upper House to support the campaign was passed last week and Labor MP Jo Haylen has also moved a motion to support the petition in the Lower House.

Former world champion Pam Burridge took home just over $36,000 in prizemoney winnings in the year she won the world title in 1990, representing about one tenth of what male world champions earned in the same era.

She said mandating equality might seem like robust action but it “has to be done”.

“Quotas and legislation and all those, sometimes blunt, instruments are important ... nearly every woman wants to go, ‘Oh yeah we don’t need targets, we’ll get there on merit’.

“And then nearly every woman finds out we really do need them.”

Sign the petition at equalpayforequalplay.com.au

Bold NSW plan could finally close gender pay gap in sport

- Selina Steele

The campaign to close the prizemoney gender pay gap has received a massive boost from NSW State Parliament with the Upper House unanimously endorsing the Equal Pay for Equal Play petition.

Headed by Sydney longboarder Lucy Small, the campaign aims to introduce a bill ruling that, in order for any NSW sporting club or organisation to be eligible for government funding, it must offer equal prizemoney for men and women who compete in equivalent competitions.

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Greens Upper House MP Abigail Boyd and spokesperson for Women’s Equity and Economic Justice, introduced the motion which was passed without debate, indicating all political parties in the upper house support the campaign in principle.

“Sexism in sport is officially on notice,” Ms Boyd said.

“Women athletes deserve the same opportunities, access, and compensation as men competing in the same sports.

Longboarder Lucy Small is heading the campaign Equal Pay for Equal Play. Picture: Supplied

“As the Equal Pay for Equal Play campaign has highlighted, sexism in sport is a cycle, and it’s time to break it.

“It’s now apparent that not only is there community support, there is cross-party support in Parliament. There’s now no excuse to not act.

“Now the Government needs to take direct action to tackle sexism in sport, and mandate equal prize money for women athletes.”

Surfer Small unwittingly became the face of the campaign after winning an event at Curl Curl earlier this year and, after accepting the $1500 winner’s cheque, said “this has been a bittersweet victory knowing that our surfing is worth less than half of the men’s prize money.”

The equivalent men’s prize money was $4000.

Greens Upper House MP Abigail Boyd. Picture: AAP

Small said: “The motion introduced by Abigail Boyd in support of Equal Pay for Equal Play and passed unanimously in the NSW Upper House is a promising step in applying pressure from the whole Parliament to legislate the changes we’re calling for.”

“Jo Haylen also moved a motion in the Lower House last week so as the petition gains momentum it’s great to see this collective pressure from within Parliament.

“We welcome the support from all parties to recognise the need for immediate action to break down sexism in sport and move toward a culture of equality and gender inclusion in sporting spaces.

“It’s so exciting and I am so happy to have our campaign recognised and supported by the Upper House. It feels like it’s just a matter of time before we can get this legislated.”

Small, and surfer and journalist Kate Allman, then work shopped the Equal Pay for Equal Play campaign, mirroring the successful campaign run out of California in 2019.

Kate Allman is pushing for the new legislation. Picture: Supplied

Female surfers competing at the infamous Mavericks big-wave competition were earning less than half of the prize money of their male counterparts.

Surfers convinced the Californian government to introduce a law making it illegal to pay women and men differently in athletic events held on state land.

Allman said: “The passing of this motion in the Upper House puts our campaign on the agenda for the state government and Minister for Sport to take a fresh look at our proposal.”

“From a political perspective – as well as a human rights perspective, really – saying ‘yes’ to equal prize money and equal opportunities for women in sport funded by public money seems like a no-brainer.

“I think most people would agree that government grants and taxpayer money should be distributed in a way that encourages modern sport clubs to embrace and foster equality.

“NSW has an opportunity to lead the way for the rest of the country here, it’s very exciting.”

Small then met with lower house MP Jo Haylen, who then agreed that if the Equal Pay for Equal Play petition lodged at parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/epetitions-list.aspx reached 20,000 signatures she would table the concept in the lower house.