❓ Mr. Rundle questions the Minister's response to the WAIS gymnastics program abuse investigation. The Minister defends his actions, highlighting meetings with gymnasts, an apology, and plans for restorative justice and cultural reform within WAIS.
AnsweredQoN 619Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE
OF SPORT — GYMNASTICS PROGRAM —SPORT INTEGRITY AUSTRALIA REVIEW
619. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Sport and
Recreation:
I refer to the long 18 months those
people involved in the investigation by Sport Integrity Australia have waited
for any response from the Western Australian Institute of Sport or the
government on restorative justice processes. I also note comments from the
minister yesterday that this is the biggest regret that he has.
(1) Is the
minister aware of just how unacceptably insufficient his regret is in the face
of decades of trauma and pain for those people who have suffered
institutionalised abuse in a government-backed structure?
(2) What is the minister doing right
now to achieve a resolution?
OF SPORT — GYMNASTICS PROGRAM —SPORT INTEGRITY AUSTRALIA REVIEW
619. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Sport and
Recreation:
I refer to the long 18 months those
people involved in the investigation by Sport Integrity Australia have waited
for any response from the Western Australian Institute of Sport or the
government on restorative justice processes. I also note comments from the
minister yesterday that this is the biggest regret that he has.
(1) Is the
minister aware of just how unacceptably insufficient his regret is in the face
of decades of trauma and pain for those people who have suffered
institutionalised abuse in a government-backed structure?
(2) What is the minister doing right
now to achieve a resolution?
AnswerView source ↗
Has the member met with any of the
gymnasts?
Mr P.J. Rundle : No; I haven't
at the moment.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN :
(1)–(2) No. Okay, so I have met with them, and I have met
with them on a number of occasions. I might tell the member that as a result of
becoming the minister in late 2021, the issue of the gymnasts was raised with
me and I sought a meeting with them very early on in the process. I take
this very seriously, member. It is one of
the reasons I asked the cabinet to allow me to make an apology in this house to
those gymnasts, and I made that in April 2022. I am very much aware that these
sorts of situations are very traumatic for people, so any imputation that the
member might be placing through his question about me not caring is absolutely
wrong. Not only did I do that, I have met the gymnasts on a number of
occasions; in fact, the last time was around about a month ago or maybe less
than that. Why? It was because I was frustrated and I knew that they were
frustrated with the processes that we had sought about an effective restorative
justice process. One of the issues was concerns by the incorporated body, the
WAIS board, about potential liability, and I can understand that. Anybody who
serves on a board, particularly an incorporated body, has some potential
exposure, so I could understand that. However, I could not allow a restorative
process that needs to take place not take place. To the rights of the outgoing
board members, they made decisions and I respect those decisions, and I appreciate
the work that they gave to WAIS, but I needed to progress this important issue.
I made the apology in this place in
April 2022 to the gymnasts—they were here—and conversations
about what that apology would look like included consultation with the gymnasts
themselves. That is why I have appointed a high-level and very experienced
group of people who will take the WAIS board forward to deliver on a restorative
process. That is my commitment to the gymnasts, and it will be the commitment
of the incoming board chair, and that is what will be delivered. Also, as part
of that process, we will look at the culture of the organisation. We will look
at the governance structure of the organisation, and it is important that that
take place, too, because taxpayers' money goes towards this entity.
What I hope to get out of this process is that we will have a much stronger
WAIS organisation and that any young child, girl or boy, who has aspirations to
reach the peak in their athletic pursuits will have clear, safe pathways to do
so. That is one of the reasons why we now also have a child safety program in
place.
I am absolutely committed to this. I will
deliver to the aspirations of those young athletes who come through WAIS and
make sure we have a robust WAIS going forward that is accountable to the
taxpayers of Western Australia, but also supports the requirements of an elite
sporting program. I am committed to that and will continue to be committed to
that while I am the Minister for Sport and Recreation.
gymnasts?
Mr P.J. Rundle : No; I haven't
at the moment.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN :
(1)–(2) No. Okay, so I have met with them, and I have met
with them on a number of occasions. I might tell the member that as a result of
becoming the minister in late 2021, the issue of the gymnasts was raised with
me and I sought a meeting with them very early on in the process. I take
this very seriously, member. It is one of
the reasons I asked the cabinet to allow me to make an apology in this house to
those gymnasts, and I made that in April 2022. I am very much aware that these
sorts of situations are very traumatic for people, so any imputation that the
member might be placing through his question about me not caring is absolutely
wrong. Not only did I do that, I have met the gymnasts on a number of
occasions; in fact, the last time was around about a month ago or maybe less
than that. Why? It was because I was frustrated and I knew that they were
frustrated with the processes that we had sought about an effective restorative
justice process. One of the issues was concerns by the incorporated body, the
WAIS board, about potential liability, and I can understand that. Anybody who
serves on a board, particularly an incorporated body, has some potential
exposure, so I could understand that. However, I could not allow a restorative
process that needs to take place not take place. To the rights of the outgoing
board members, they made decisions and I respect those decisions, and I appreciate
the work that they gave to WAIS, but I needed to progress this important issue.
I made the apology in this place in
April 2022 to the gymnasts—they were here—and conversations
about what that apology would look like included consultation with the gymnasts
themselves. That is why I have appointed a high-level and very experienced
group of people who will take the WAIS board forward to deliver on a restorative
process. That is my commitment to the gymnasts, and it will be the commitment
of the incoming board chair, and that is what will be delivered. Also, as part
of that process, we will look at the culture of the organisation. We will look
at the governance structure of the organisation, and it is important that that
take place, too, because taxpayers' money goes towards this entity.
What I hope to get out of this process is that we will have a much stronger
WAIS organisation and that any young child, girl or boy, who has aspirations to
reach the peak in their athletic pursuits will have clear, safe pathways to do
so. That is one of the reasons why we now also have a child safety program in
place.
I am absolutely committed to this. I will
deliver to the aspirations of those young athletes who come through WAIS and
make sure we have a robust WAIS going forward that is accountable to the
taxpayers of Western Australia, but also supports the requirements of an elite
sporting program. I am committed to that and will continue to be committed to
that while I am the Minister for Sport and Recreation.
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