Prioritising Consistency & Compliance: A Review Of Australia's National Integrity Framework For Sport

Sport Integrity Australia[1] (SIA) was established in 2020 pursuant to the Sport Integrity Australia Act 2020 (Cth)[2] and combines the former functions of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) and the National Integrity of Sport Unit (NISU).

In April 2021, SIA released its National Integrity Framework (the Framework) together with a streamlined suite of policies, directed towards national sporting organisations (NSOs). The framework has been designed to take a proactive approach to mitigate integrity threats to sports and provide a safe, fair and healthy environment for participants.[3] Key stakeholders such as the Australian Olympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Australia, Paralympics Australia, Commonwealth Ombudsman, Australian Human Rights Commission, NSOs and sport integrity experts were consulted on specific elements of the Framework to ensure it is fit for purpose.

The Framework promotes confidence in sport and combats the threats to it, including the:

• Manipulation of sporting competitions;
• Improper use of drugs and medicine in sport;
• Abuse of children and other persons in a sporting environment; and
• Failure to protect members and other persons in a sporting environment, from bullying, intimidation, discrimination, or harassment.

The Framework mandates that NSOs must have policies that cover each of the above four areas and places an onus on two mandatory roles, namely the National Integrity Manager and Complaints Manager. While the requirements of the Framework provide for greater consistency in approaches to integrity issues across NSOs in Australia, the increased compliance requirements do pose particular issues for staff, boards, athletes and volunteers.