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Diamonds captain Liz Watson says she is hopeful the issues around Netball Australia's (NA) sponsorship deal with Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting will be sorted out soon and the team will wear the company's logo on their playing kit.
- Netball Australia has been criticised for linking with Hancock due to the mining giants record on Indigenous and environmental issues
- Despite the criticism, Netball Australia reaffirmed its commitment to Gina Rinehart's company
- Diamonds captain Liz Watson said she expected the team to be wearing dresses with Hancock on them "soon"
Concerns were raised by some in the Australian national team set-up around a $15 million partnership between NA and Hancock over the mining giant's spotty record on Indigenous and environmental issues.
It led to reports that the Diamonds boycotted wearing dresses with Hancock emblazoned on them in their Constellation Cup series against New Zealand, and criticism of a lack of transparency and communication from NA towards the playing group.
NA said there was no boycott of the playing kit as it decided "it was not in the best interests of the players, the sport or Hancock Prospecting to wear the dress at this time", and doubled down on the partnership, saying NA and Hancock were working "to acknowledge and recognise the sensitivities" within the playing group.
"This is a strong partnership for the sport that underpins the Diamonds high performance program with 100% of these funds going towards athlete and coach salaries, the delivery of camps, and competition costs which will enable the Australian Diamonds to continue their considerable and significant legacy in sport," NA's statement read.
Diamonds captain Liz Watson backed the partnership when asked about it on ABC News Breakfast on Tuesday morning.
"We're great supporters of Hancock, we want to make this partnership work with them … and I'm confident it is going to resolve really soon," she said.
"The girls know this is a really big investment in our sport and it's going to do amazing things for our high-performance program, so we appreciate that.
"It's just working through those things and making sure that everyone, whether you're in the Diamonds or not, is very comfortable; you want to come into this environment and feel great.
"And we know that this will be resolved and we'll hopefully get out there with that dress on."
At a later press conference, Watson said the group understood there were "cultural sensitivities" surrounding the deal for Indigenous player Donnell Wallam.
In 1984, Lang Hancock, founder of Hancock Prospecting and father of Rinehart, suggested a plan that would kill off troublesome Indigenous people.
"Those that have been assimilated into society and are earning a good living, and earning wages amongst the civilised areas, that have been accepted into society and accept society and can handle society, I'd leave them well alone," Hancock said.
"The ones who are no good to themselves and can't accept things, the half-castes — and this is where most of the trouble comes — I would dope the water up so that they were sterile and would breed themselves out in future, and that would solve the problem."
Rinehart has never distanced herself from those comments.
"[Wallam] is part of this program, she knows where we stand," Watson told reporters.
"We're supporting Donnell obviously with everything that's going on and I'm confident we will get a solution to all of this."
Hancock Prospecting made a presentation to the players this morning.
The Diamonds are currently trailing New Zealand 2-0 in the four-game Constellation Cup series, with Tests on Wednesday and Sunday giving Australia the chance to square the series and potentially regain the trophy on scoring percentage.
The Commonwealth Games champions then go straight into a three-match series against England, playing Tests in Newcastle on October 26, Sydney on October 30, and Brisbane on November 3.
Wallam is not playing against the Silver Ferns, but the 28-year-old could be picked to make her debut in the series against England, which would make her just third Indigenous player to represent the Diamonds in their 95-year history.
"[Wallam] is obviously new to the group, [we support] her to come in here and just be herself and feel comfortable and strong," Watson said.
Despite being at risk of losing the Constellation Cup for the second straight year, Watson said she does not think the turmoil surrounding the sponsorship has distracted the team on court.
"We haven't performed how we wanted to. New Zealand has been very great in their performance," she said.
"We have improved in game one from game two so … it's on us in how we're performing, it's not got to do with outside noise."
Meanwhile, West Coast Fever, which in September struck a multi-million-dollar agreement with Hancock Prospecting's Roy Hill, criticised the furore over the Netball Australia sponsorship.
"The current situation between Netball Australia and Hancock Prospecting is concerning and disappointing," a statement from the Fever read.
"The West Coast Fever's partnership with Roy Hill is vital to the success of the club on and off the court.
"Roy Hill's Executive Chairman Gina Rinehart is a massive supporter of the Australian community, and she has a particular interest in backing women's sport."