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The withdrawal of a sponsorship lifeline from mining giant Hancock Prospecting to Netball Australia, means the financial viability of the sport is at risk and questions are being asked about the governing body's ability to manage a range of matters including sensitive cultural issues.
The Ticket can confirm cabinet minister Bill Shorten, who in his previous role as a union leader helped drive significant changes in the sport, has been approached by stakeholders who have lost confidence in Netball Australia.
Meanwhile, other sports sponsored by Hancock Prospecting have been forced to consider their own positions.
In 2005 Mr Shorten led the Australian Workers Union, which the netball players association (ANPA) sought to join.
It resulted in the sport's first commercial broadcast deal and the establishment of the Trans-Tasman netball series, the forerunner to the current Super Netball competition.
Chair of Netball Australia Wendy Archer, who took over the role less than a week ago, thanked Hancock Prospecting for continuing to "stand by our sport throughout the recent turbulence", despite the company withdrawing its four-year deal.
She said she regretted the impact it had on the mining company in a coordinated statement issued shortly after Hancock Prospecting issued its own.
According to a statement released overnight by the ANPA, reports of a split in the playing group are incorrect.
"The singular issue of concern to the players was one of support for our only Indigenous team member," the ANPA said.
"We are fully committed to the Diamonds' 'sister in arms' legacy and the values this represents, alongside Australian Netball's declaration of commitment."
It is the declaration of commitment made by Netball Australia in 2020 that has failed at its first hurdle when First Nations player Donnell Wallam raised concerns about wearing the Hancock logo on her uniform given the founder of the company once voiced his plan for eliminating "the problem" of Indigenous people.
Lang Hancock, in a 1984 television interview, said most of the issues came from "the half-castes" but a solution would be to "dope the water up so they were sterile, and they would breed themselves out in future and that would solve the problem".
In one of three meetings held on consecutive days this past week — facilitated by Netball Australia and attended by officials from Hancock Prospecting, Wallam was met by a number of other First Nations people who had been called to detail their positive experiences from the financial support they had received from the mining giant through sponsorships and other programs.
It was hoped their testimonies would change Wallam's objection to wearing a uniform with the company logo.
A number of sources who did not wish to be identified confirmed the player was put under increasing pressure as the week continued.
Testimonies and messages were also published this week on the websites of all the sports that receive sponsorship from Hancock Prospecting, with the exception of the Australian Olympic Committee.
From the playing group's side, three options are believed to have been put forward at the meetings:
- That an apology be made or at least some distance be put between Lang Hancock's genocide comments and the values of the current leadership of Hancock Prospecting, led by Gina Rinehart
- That a pause be put on all discussions until the current international series against New Zealand and England was complete
- That Wallam be granted an exemption from wearing the logo for personal reasons
All three were rejected.
Netball Australia has put itself at odds with other sports governing bodies that have granted elite athletes' exemptions in the past, including Cricket Australia, the NRL, the AFL and Rugby Australia.
Its handling of this situation shows its 2020 declaration of commitment to listen, learn and change by engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People has not progressed beyond the paper it is written on.
The pledge came after a sweeping review led by former Australian captain Liz Ellis, commissioned after another furore when the game failed to put its only First Nations player onto the court during Indigenous round of the Super Netball competition.
Ellis has since walked away from the sport. As have others, including members of the Indigenous Advisory Panel established after the review but who were rarely contacted for advice.
Former Wallabies captain and now independent senator David Pocock says it is an important time in sport, with more athletes taking a risk in standing up for what they believe in.
"When it comes to netball, I think Donnell Wallam is just so courageous," Senator Pocock told The Ticket.
"Before you play your first Test, being willing to actually raise this … I'm really concerned if netball don't actually take her concerns seriously.
"They are very valid. You look at what Lang Hancock said, it's disgusting that Gina Rinehart potentially isn't willing to distance herself from that.
"I think the thing to remember when we see athletes actually speak out on issues is that most athletes have grown up dreaming of playing their sport at the highest level representing their country.
"The last thing you want to be doing as an athlete is causing that sort of trouble where you are making it uncomfortable for your coaches, the administrators, and opening yourself up to some pretty vicious attacks from people in the community which we've seen over the last week or two.
"I think we should be listening when athletes actually have the courage to speak up, but from personal experience you see just how annoyed the administrators are, and there's a huge power imbalance.
"The administrators of a lot of these sports are from the big end of town, they are rubbing shoulders with the executives of all of these fossil fuel companies, and I think when it comes to fossil fuels we should be having this conversation.
"Should fossil fuels be allowed to try and prop up their dying social licence at a time where clearly we have to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.
"The reality is it is less than 5 per cent of sports sponsorship that we're talking about when it comes to fossil fuels and clearly, I think, fossil fuels need sport more than sport needs fossil fuels."
Volleyball Australia has had a close association with Gina Rinehart and her company for close to a decade, and its chairman Craig Carracher was the first to put up a message about Hancock's sponsorship on his website – which he said he did unprompted.
"There were some experiences, that I had not had, being put into the marketplace of information [such as] that there were values that could be imposed upon sports consistent with remarks for example visited upon the daughter of the father which has not been my experience," Carracher said.
"I think her [Rinehart's] offer of $15 million over any period is a significant offer … which I thought was deserving of some commentary and support and I think it is regrettable that sport in Australia has lost that investment … but that's a matter for netball and that's a matter for Hancock."
Carracher is concerned the damage from the saga will spread to other sports.
"I am worried about it. I think it's damaging to sport generally as it seeks to fill its coffers to deliver on the not-for-profit service … that most sports do contribute to the Australian landscape.
"That's becoming more challenging daily. The alternative of government funding is becoming even more challenging, and we've been encouraged to look for alternative revenue sources.
"So that's going to be an engagement we all have to discuss – governance linked with funding, linked with value association and at what point are we prepared to engage moving forward … and how important is sport to Australians?
"Because the alternative will be that athletes aren't funded, that our grassroots programs are not supported, our high-performance athletes have nowhere to go and sport becomes a less welcome part of the Australian vernacular … I think that would be a material change the government needs to spend some time on as well.
"There is a Volleyball Australia annual general meeting in Canberra today … and it has had to consider these issues and our major sponsorships."
The Diamonds are due to play the final game in the Constellation Cup against New Zealand on the Gold Coast tonight ahead of a series against England where Donnell Wallam is expected to make her debut for Australia.
The usual excitement ahead of such a major milestone in an athlete's career has been substantially diminished by a governing body and a potential sponsor appearing to be unwilling to go where others had already been – putting a player first, and granting an exemption.