‘Wasn’t on our books’: Sports Minister’s shock over Qld Paralympics fiasco

The Federal Sport Minister says despite speaking with Paralympians regularly she didn’t learn about controversy brewing in Queensland until this week, as new measures to ‘clean up’ sport are announced.

Federal Sport Minister Anika Wells has refused to confirm if she was approached by Paralympians about the Premier’s title issue, despite speaking with them “on a number of occasions” since assuming her role in June.

Speaking to media in Brisbane today, the Minister said the Premier’s title was also not something she and Olympic Committee boss John Coates had “ever discussed” during the past three months, noting there was no federal Olympic and Paralympic minister.

“Obviously at a federal level, no one has the (Olympic or Paralympic federal minister) title so this particular issue wasn't on our books until the stories hit earlier this week,” Ms Wells said.

“It’s not something that Mr Coates and I have ever discussed in my short time in the role, but I think it’s important to listen, it’s important to respond and now that’s been done.”

Although Ms Wells admitted to speaking with “numerous” Paralympians since June, she refused to say whether the title issue was discussed.

Sports Minister Anika Wells. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

She also refused to comment on the considerable time it took Ms Palaszczuk to amend her title to include Paralympics.

“I think it’s good to be responsive, I think it’s good to listen, I’m glad that the title of an Paralympics will be added, joining the Queensland Sports Minister who’s had the (full) title,” she said.

“We value the Paralympics equal to the Olympics. We want to be inclusive.”

Minister Wells was joined by Sport Integrity Australia chief executive officer David Sharpe on Friday to announce “new” measures to “clean up” Australia Sport.

Measures include the addition of a Safety in Sport Division within Sport Integrity Australia and the expansion of the existing 1300 hotline that athletes can call to report abuse anonymously.

“The safety and sport division will look at supporting athletes and educating athletes in a culturally informed way, in a trauma first way, in a supported way, so that we can start to address some of these uses and misuses and abuse of power that continues to faster within our sporting institutions and sporting structures,” Ms Wells said.

Sport Integrity Australia has received more than 1300 reports relating to safety issues in sport since its establishment in July 2020.

Sport Integrity Australia CEO David Sharpe. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Mr Sharpe said concerningly, 91 per cent of those matters related to child safety.

“I’d like to stand here and say I’m shocked like everyone else is, but I’m not unfortunately. Consistently on a daily basis my staff see these issues,” he said.

“Coaches are the most influential people in sport, we’re seeing that coaches are actually the ones that are potentially breaching policies, and not through serious criminality.

“So what’s really important for us on the back of this announcement is the expansion from January 1, of our 1300 number which will allow people to come to a safe place to tell their story and to enhance that we will also launch a confidential reporting screen where people can safely tell their story and hopefully no longer need to be re-traumatised by (it) being played out.”

While Ms Wells couldn’t confirm if the Federal Government would become involved in the AFL’s review of the racism allegations gripping the Hawthorn Football Club, Mr Sharpe said his agency would be steering clear of the scandal.

“I have briefed the AFL about the motions that I was announcing today…we’re all waiting to hear developments in the latest case,” Ms Wells said.

“I understand that they are close to being able to provide more information to everybody.”

Meanwhile, Mr Sharpe firmly answered that Sport Integrity Australia “couldn’t” take over the AFL investigation, but that it would “offer support.”

“Every time this is talked about publicly, it retraumatised those people,” he said.

“The AFL have taken many steps, their judicial processes are being undertaken, so it’s not something that we will take on now or step in at this stage. We certainly would stand beside AFL to offer support.”

Ms Wells also rejected claims that today’s sport integrity announcement was made just ten days after the Hawk’s scandal broke last week.

“I had intended to do this for some time,” she said.

“It’s just taken all of us getting together to be able to announce it today; however, I do think it’s timely because like you say it’s in the news.

“These things continue to happen. People want to know where they can go, and they can call the (hotline) number.”

Originally published as ‘Wasn’t on our books’: Sports Minister’s shock over Qld Paralympics fiasco