Page 2492 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 6 August 2013
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It is fair to say, though, that there is no silver bullet solution to all of these issues. However, the ACT government is playing its role as part of a national approach to addressing this issue and acknowledges the work currently being undertaken to explore opportunities for greater sharing of information between sporting bodies and law enforcement agencies, strengthening the registration process for sports scientists, ensuring that sporting bodies have in place appropriate governance mechanisms to prevent integrity issues and deal appropriately with these if they do occur, and finally to ensure current information and education are available to all participants in the sport and recreation sector to guide appropriate behaviour. The territory government stands committed to protecting the integrity of sport for those who participate, for those who spectate and for those who place a legal bet.
When Ben Johnson crossed the finish line at the 1988 Olympics, although both doping and testing had existed previously, drugs in sport were certainly thrust into the public realm like never before. Governments and sporting bodies around the world have now established legislation and systems that are in place to fight the ongoing battle against drugs in sport. But the infiltration of sports betting and match fixing is a relatively new front in this battle to maintain the integrity of sport. In July 2011 the President of the International Olympic Committee noted this, stating that match fixing “is as dangerous as doping for the credibility of sport”.
The release of the Australian Crime Commission’s report on 7 February may prove to be a watershed moment for Australian sport. This bill, which is a reflection of our commitment and our willingness to act in accordance with the national policy on match fixing, is a key tool in this battle to protect the integrity of Australian sport.
I congratulate all involved in the development of this bill and commend it to the Assembly.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.31): The Greens will support the passage of this bill. The bill updates the ACT Criminal Code to ensure it covers four new offences relating to match fixing. The Standing Council on Law and Justice match-fixing working group recommended that all jurisdictions adopt consistent offences as part of a national approach to addressing match-fixing activities in sport. This standing council was established by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General with the mandate of investigating and harmonising match-fixing laws.
A review of ACT laws revealed that there were four recommended areas that were not currently addressed in the ACT Criminal Code. I will not detail the offences, as they are explained in the explanatory statement and they have been covered already in the Assembly. Suffice to say that the new offences are the result of a considerable amount of work in recent years to respond to match-fixing issues and the various permutations in which these offences occur. I note also that the Assembly’s scrutiny of bills committee has looked at this bill and has no comments.
Obviously, sports betting is a major industry in Australia. I am sure anyone watching televised sport in recent months would be aware of the size of this industry and the commercial interests involved. It seems impossible to watch televised sport these days
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