AWU: game over for netballer alliance

The alliance between the nation’s top netballers and the AWU forged by Bill Shorten a decade ago has ended.

The alliance between the nation’s top netballers and the Australian Workers Union forged by Bill Shorten a decade ago has ended, with the players declaring it is time to “stand alone”.

The AWU signed the 2005 Diamonds with the eight state league teams in a high-profile deal covering 120 players, which was brokered by the Opposition Leader when he was national secretary of the union.

However, The Weekend Australian has learned that today’s squad wants former players to represent them in future wage negotiations.

Ex-Diamonds captain Bianca Chatfield, who retired from the sport six weeks ago, and former player Sherelle McMahon are mooted to take over as representatives on the Australian Netball Players Association.

“We have always planned to become a stand-alone association one day,” Chatfield told The Weekend Australian. “We are … in the process of transitioning, and making sure we can secure financial support to move forward is a huge factor in how we do it.

“Sherelle and I are passionate about the players association ... We would like to be involved.”

Chatfield is likely to replace former AWU organiser John-Paul Blandthorn as executive director on the association when he steps down next month, severing the last link between the union and the players. Mr Blandthorn joined Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’s private office this year.

Mr Shorten signed the netballers in a public relations coup for the union, holding a press conference to announce that stars such as Liz Ellis had become members. In an unusual arrangement, which required changing the union’s eligibility criteria, Mr Shorten was appointed head of the ANPA. Players automatically became AWU “members” if they were part of the association.

However, they did not pay full AWU membership dues. Instead, a $200-a-year fee — roughly half the annual membership costs for blue-collar workers who joined the union — was directly deducted from their salaries and paid to the ANPA.

The AWU netball deal was scrutinised by the trade union royal commission last month, after some players claimed they didn’t know they had been added to the union’s membership.

Chatfield yesterday praised the work of Mr Shorten and Mr Blandthorn, who she said “worked hard alongside us to change our working conditions and make sure we had what we needed and the support we needed to be the best players”.

However, Netball Australia chief executive Kate Palmer questioned whether the tie-up was a good “fit”. “Culturally, our sport is far removed from the AWU ... despite the positive outcome,’’ she said.

“Former athletes understand the sport and are in a position to work with us in partnership.”

On the ABC’s Insiders program last month, Mr Shorten cited his work with the netballers as part of his record of “standing up for workers”. “Didn’t matter if it was the two trapped miners at Beaconsfield or professional netballers or indeed factory workers or construction workers,” he said.

He did not mention that the players were taken off the union roll about a year ago after the change of leadership at the Victorian branch from Cesar Melhem to Ben Davis. It is understood Mr Davis made the change after realising the players were paying a “service charge” for advice, not a membership fee.