❓ Mr Rundle questions the Minister about WAIS governance following a Sport Integrity Australia report and changes to the board. The Minister expresses confidence in the new board and its focus on improved governance and support for athletes.
AnsweredQoN 704Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN
INSTITUTE OF SPORT — GOVERNANCE
704. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Sport and
Recreation:
I
refer to the wholesale changes to the board of the Western Australian Institute
of Sport and the Premier's comments that a new broom needs to go
through WAIS, and other references to more government control of WAIS.
(1) What does the
minister intend to do to ensure better governance than he has overseen in
recent years, given the Sport Integrity Australia report that came out about 18
months ago?
(2) What is the
minister doing to reassure those from the former gymnastics program that some
action will occur in the near future?
INSTITUTE OF SPORT — GOVERNANCE
704. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Sport and
Recreation:
I
refer to the wholesale changes to the board of the Western Australian Institute
of Sport and the Premier's comments that a new broom needs to go
through WAIS, and other references to more government control of WAIS.
(1) What does the
minister intend to do to ensure better governance than he has overseen in
recent years, given the Sport Integrity Australia report that came out about 18
months ago?
(2) What is the
minister doing to reassure those from the former gymnastics program that some
action will occur in the near future?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) As the member very well knows, the Western Australian
Institute of Sport is now back on track. We have a new board headed by Dr Neale
Fong. Already, he and his board have focused on the key elements of change that
need to occur. The Premier is absolutely right that that is required. I am very
confident that with Dr Fong as the chair and with the new board that is in
place we will get a strongly focused WAIS that will deliver the restorative
issues with regard to the gymnasts. I met with a gymnast representative only a week
and a half ago and reassured the representative that that will be a key focus
of the board. The board has moved very swiftly to focus on improved governance,
and the experience of two additional board members, announced only earlier this
week or late last week, will ensure that the governance structure of the board
will be very strong. I committed to ensure that Dr Fong and the board will have
all the support of government to put in place the structural changes that are
required so that when we come out of this process, WAIS will be the strong,
high-performance entity that we want it to be and that athletes in the
high-performance programs delivered through WAIS will be well supported and
well resourced. As we know, the Paris Olympic Games is coming upon us next
year, followed by the Commonwealth Games and, of course, the 2032 Olympic Games to be held in Brisbane,
Australia. We have acted very, very quickly. I am very confident about where WAIS is now. I know that those newly
appointed board members and the chair are working very, very hard to make sure
that WAIS is even stronger and will deliver the outcomes that we expect of it.
Institute of Sport is now back on track. We have a new board headed by Dr Neale
Fong. Already, he and his board have focused on the key elements of change that
need to occur. The Premier is absolutely right that that is required. I am very
confident that with Dr Fong as the chair and with the new board that is in
place we will get a strongly focused WAIS that will deliver the restorative
issues with regard to the gymnasts. I met with a gymnast representative only a week
and a half ago and reassured the representative that that will be a key focus
of the board. The board has moved very swiftly to focus on improved governance,
and the experience of two additional board members, announced only earlier this
week or late last week, will ensure that the governance structure of the board
will be very strong. I committed to ensure that Dr Fong and the board will have
all the support of government to put in place the structural changes that are
required so that when we come out of this process, WAIS will be the strong,
high-performance entity that we want it to be and that athletes in the
high-performance programs delivered through WAIS will be well supported and
well resourced. As we know, the Paris Olympic Games is coming upon us next
year, followed by the Commonwealth Games and, of course, the 2032 Olympic Games to be held in Brisbane,
Australia. We have acted very, very quickly. I am very confident about where WAIS is now. I know that those newly
appointed board members and the chair are working very, very hard to make sure
that WAIS is even stronger and will deliver the outcomes that we expect of it.
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