Jeff Kennett slams claim Hawthorn could face penalties over management of racism probe

As the AFL insists its investigation remains active, former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has hit out at claims the club could be hit with heavy penalties for its handling of the racism probe which rocked football.

Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has savaged suggestions the club could be hit with heavy financial sanctions over footy’s racism affair.

The AFL insists its probe into Hawthorn’s management of the First Nations scandal is “ongoing”, while the club was tight-lipped on Tuesday about the prospect of compensation or covering some of the legal, medical and reputational costs incurred by affected parties, including former coach Alastair Clarkson.

But Kennett said a move to penalise the Hawks would be “an abject disgrace”.

“If this claim is correct — that the AFL intends to impose penalties on Hawthorn — it is an abject disgrace which ignores the reality of the whole issue,” Kennet said.

“Hawthorn at all times followed the correct procedures and reported the matter to the AFL through the then-legal officer Andrew Dillon as soon as the (Binmada) report was received, who passed it onto the AFL integrity unit.

“It was only then that the matter became public because some members of the families making the allegations went to the media …

“Hawthorn did what any responsible workplace should do when workplace behaviours are questioned. We did not bring the game into disrepute in any way whatsoever – we actually simply tried to establish the truth — and the truth finding exercise was hijacked by the families that went public.”

Jeff Kennett says it would be a disgrace if the Hawks were penalised. Picture: Ian Currie

Hawthorn president Andy Gowers said: “We continue to work cooperatively with the AFL however this complex matter remains ongoing.

“As we have said repeatedly, we want to see it resolved fairly and quickly in the best interests of all. That position has not changed.”

Hawks president Andy Gowers. Picture: Michael Klein

Gowers has previously said sanctions against the club were not warranted.

“We’d be extremely disappointed if this matter led to sanctions, including financial,” Gowers said in June.

Just days after former AFL boss Gillon McLachlan announced the closure of its eight-month “independent” investigation into the saga, the league began probing whether Hawthorn should be punished for its oversight of its racism review.

The AFL accepted that the cultural safety review was launched with good intentions but was privately critical of the commissioning and policing of the Binmada report, which was leaked to the media in grand final week last year, triggering the crisis.

The author of the report, former Richmond player Phil Egan, has since been charged with scores of offences after allegedly stealing from a body set up to help Indigenous communities.

Victoria Police financial crime squad detectives arrested Egan in February.

The AFL says its probe into the Hawthorn investigation is ongoing. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

The league investigation into Hawthorn was led by AFL legal counsel Stephen Meade.

The AFL’s “independent” probe into historic claims of racism at the club, which was heavily criticised, made no adverse findings against Clarkson, Fagan and former Hawks welfare officer Jason Burt – the trio at the centre of allegations during their time at Hawthorn.

The panel was shut down by the league without reaching any conclusions.

But the AFL left the door open for Hawthorn to be punished, including fines or the stripping of prized draft picks.

Asked for an update on its probe, an AFL spokesman said: “The matter is on-going”.

Lawyers for the First Nations families at the centre of the scandal are continuing to pursue claims in the Australian Human Rights Commission and civil courts.