Safe sport is a right, not a privilege.

Major international win for survivors, their families, and ARA

Thank you to journalist David Mark and all the crew who have been on this journey for four years - September 2021 onwards. We have lobbied SIA, GA, briefed politicians for Senates Estimates, gone on the 7.30 report and lodged with the GEF in 2022. It’s a journey that’s been far too long. It should never have come to this.

Now, at last, we have a decision that informs the entire gymnastics community on what safeguarding investigations should be like.

Not all our social links are active, so please contribute on my LinkedIn page here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-quigley-95871577

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-03/gymnastics-australia-found-to-breach-human-right-report/105726400

👉 For safeguarding to work in Australia and globally, we must have robust investigation processes.

👉 This means, at a minimum, that investigators adhere to wrap-around trauma-informed processes. This means considering key evidence, interviewing key witnesses, garnering sufficient information to demonstrate both arguments were considered, ensuring counter statements are fact-checked with both parties, and that reports are sufficiently transparent to show good workmanship.

👉 Unfortunately, and problematically, current and historical cases that Athlete Rights Australia have to hand demonstrate hashtag#SportIntegrityAustralia hasn't yet found a consistent, reliable approach that reflects all the processes above.

👉 Sports bodies adopting SIA outcomes may be trusting the process has been robust when it's not.

👉 From a legal perspective, this means the national sports body assumes the risk. The risk is not mitigated and the harmful practices continue.

👉 Sports bodies must therefore be receptive to issues with SIA processes, such as those flagged in this case, who said - for four years - the job was not done properly.

👉 When sports bodies fail to respect this re-examination process, they risk being sued, as does the investigating body. The push-back is counterproductive, as it leads to damage to reputation, as this case shows.

👉 Beyond all this is our ethic of care. These derelict processes, described in the article, create more harm to children and families, with a compounding effect. I am talking about PTSD, self-harm, self-hate, eating disorders, and suicide. These are all very serious public health issues.

👉 This secondary form of harm is recognised in the literature as systems abuse.

👉 Lawyers who work with victims and survivors of gendered and family violence will know this term well.

👉 This article evidences how it occurs in sport.

👉 Solutions require a whole of systems approach with survivors placed at the centre, invited to co-design protections