It is disappointing to learn that the Howard Government has been unable to convince the Australian Football League to sign onto the World Anti-Doping Association’s (WADA) drugs in sport code.
The Government should hold firm in its stand to remove all Australian Sports Commission (ASC) funding. We urge the Government to consider a whole of Government approach for withholding funding.
This would create a more meaningful financial incentive for the AFL to sign the code. Labor believes that every effort should be made by the Howard Government and the AFL to ensure the highest moral and ethical standards are upheld in sport and among Australia’s sporting role models.
The Government made an assumption that the loss of ASC funding would act as a deterrent for failing to sign the agreement. However the Minister would have known that this loss of funding would be a drop in the ocean for the AFL and therefore that he risked not being taken seriously.
Had there been a more concerted effort made to encourage the AFL to sign, we may not have this embarrassing situation for Australians where one of our wealthiest and most popular sports has refused to sign such an important global agreement cracking down on drugs in sport.
The Howard Government has let Australia’s credibility slip in tackling drugs in sport and this is another example of this Government failing to deliver.
Contact: Taryn Langdon 0147 148 059 or 02 6277 3334
