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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-06-21 Daily Xml
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SPORT, MATCH FIXING

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Can the minister advise of recent moves to stamp out match fixing in sport?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, can you sit down?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members for Finniss, Waite, MacKillop and Norwood! We will have some order. The minister will not answer the question until we have quiet on my left. Minister.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister Assisting the Premier with South Australia's Strategic Plan) (14:42): I thank the member for Mitchell for his question. I am happy to inform the house today of national moves to stamp out match fixing and ensure the integrity of sport in Australia. All Australians expect that the sport they watch or participate in is played honestly and to the ideals of fair play and good sportsmanship, especially the Mighty Mighty 4th Grade Rugby Union competition here in Adelaide.

Match fixing in sport, and the associated fraudulent betting, is an emerging issue globally, posing the greatest threat to the integrity of Australian sport since doping. It is insidious by nature, and we cannot let it become part of our sporting landscape as has occurred overseas. Match fixing involves the manipulation of an outcome or contingency in a sporting contest and is often motivated by the opportunity for significant financial or other personal gain through betting on the result.

At the recent Sport and Recreation Ministerial Council meeting in Queensland, all states and territories agreed to the breakthrough National Policy on Match Fixing in Sport. The South Australian government strongly supports this national policy which sends the strongest possible message to any would-be match fixers and shows how committed we are to stamping it out before it gains any traction in Australia. The policy is underpinned by the following agreed principles:

a nationally consistent approach to deterring and dealing with match fixing in Australia;

information sharing between governments, major sports, betting operators and law enforcers;

consistent national code of conduct principles for sport; and

active participation in international efforts to combat corruption in sport, including an international code of conduct.

The policy will provide the platform for action against match fixing underpinned by legislation, regulation, codes of conduct and industry standards.

The next step is for a working group, chaired by the commonwealth, to provide an implementation plan to sports ministers within three months which will include an assessment of readiness of the sporting organisations and the betting industry to pursue the requirements under this policy.

It should also be acknowledged that the sports betting industry and the major sporting organisations, including the Australian Olympic Committee and those represented by the Confederation of Major Professional and Participation Sports, have shown strong support throughout the development of this policy. This is important as we are also seeking to ensure that there is better information sharing between betting agencies and sporting organisations so that any suspicious activity is swiftly identified.

Australia has well-established sporting traditions to uphold and respect, and I am confident that the actions being taken to stamp out match fixing will ensure our reputation as a great sporting nation is not diminished in any way.

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