Australian sport ‘should stay out of the voice debate’ urges former prime minister John Howard

Former prime minister John Howard is urging sporting organ­isations to keep politics out of sport and not publicly declare a position on the referendum campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

Former prime minister John Howard has urged sporting organ­isations to not declare a position on the Indigenous voice. Picture: Damian Shaw

Former prime minister and renowned cricket tragic John Howard is urging sporting organ­isations to keep politics out of sport and not publicly declare a position on the referendum campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

As prime minister, Mr Howard promoted Australia’s sporting green and gold in cities around the world with his Wallabies rugby union tracksuit during his traditional morning walks, attended cricket tests whenever he could, and was “booed” at football stadiums in the footy fans’ tradition of telling politicians what they thought of them.

But he has declared sporting bodies should not get involved in “partisan political debates” because national and state sporting organisations taking a position on the voice could be “potentially divisive and disturbing to fans and followers”.

“Sporting bodies should not get involved in partisan political debates. They should stay out of the voice debate. For a national or state body to take a position on the voice is potentially divisive and disturbing to fans and followers,” Mr Howard told The Weekend Australian.

Mr Howard’s call for sports to stay out of the voice debate puts him in direct conflict with Anthony Albanese, who is encouraging sporting people, organisations and clubs to declare support for the Yes case as a crucial part of his “civil” campaign.

The Prime Minister sees community group endorsement as a key to passing the referendum and has deliberately put off the date for the referendum so as not to clash with the AFL and NRL grand finals in September.

On Tuesday, the NRL became the first football code to support the Yes campaign, ahead of the league’s Indigenous Round. The NRL said its position reflected its full support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Other sporting codes and organisations working with Mr Albanese, a lifelong South Sydney NRL fan, to support the voice include the AFL, NBL, Rugby Australia, Football Australia, Cricket Australia, Tennis Australia and Netball Australia.

Mr Howard, a lifelong supporter of NRL club St George, said the maxim that “sport and politics don’t mix is a good one”.

“Australian sports fans are a special breed. They are passionate, know their game and want their team to win. They don’t want diversions, however well-intentioned they might be,” he said.

“As a metaphor for what I am about, let me say that the next time I go to Kogarah Oval (aka Jubilee Oval) to see St George Illawarra play, I look forward to seeing both Doug McClelland and Graham Richardson.

“McClelland incidentally is the oldest surviving former Whitlam minister and Graham Richardson was a minister in the Hawke government, but we all barrack for the Dragons,” he said.

Mr Howard conceded there were times when it was unavoidable politics and sport would mix because of a moral dimension.

“An example was the ban on sporting tours by South African cricket and rugby teams whose selections had been racially based. There was widespread community agreement apartheid-era South Africa was morally repugnant and it would have been wrong of Australia to continue to accept all-white teams.

“This does not apply in relation to the voice. Neither side can claim moral superiority, although some participants have done so.”