Hardly ever would I take problem with my fellow columnist Rita Panahi, however her article final Friday headlined “Hawthorn ought to pay up for racism report fiasco” must be answered.
Rita acknowledged that the Hawthorn Soccer Membership defamed three of its former workers and we needed to pay thousands and thousands in compensation.
Utterly mistaken.
Critical allegations had been made public by Cyril Rioli and his spouse via The Age. The allegations had been severe and the membership’s board shortly determined, led by board member Ian Silk, that we wanted to determine whether or not every other previous or current Indigenous gamers or employees had related experiences.
Mr. Silk then chaired a committee that appointed Binmada, an indigenous group headed by Phil Egan, assisted by Dr. Meaghan Katrak Harris, to listen to the experiences of Indigenous gamers and employees from their time at Hawthorn.
This was a cultural safety overview.
Not everybody wished to take part.
Binmada had beforehand been engaged by the AFL, the federal authorities and others to work on Indigenous affairs.
A few of those that spoke to Binmada recounted experiences that shocked the board. And a few experiences had been good.
After receiving the report, Hawthorn instantly knowledgeable the AFL and referred the report back to the AFL Integrity Unit, as we had been required to do underneath the AFL Respect and Duty tips.
Earlier than AFL Integrity may start its work, with the assistance of Hawthorn, to determine the reality or in any other case of the allegations, some relations of the Indigenous gamers leaked their tales to the ABC.
It began a media storm.
In that and different media stories that adopted, former workers Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt had been named, completely unfairly, as AFL Integrity’s course of to confirm the allegations involving the three had not even began.
The leak of the allegations by the native relations, for no matter purpose, destroyed the pure investigative course of.
Binmada was solely assigned to listen to the tales of our unique employees. We by no means anticipated a report outlining such claims. Binmada was not the suitable group to hunt to confirm or in any other case examine the allegations.
That was AFL Integrity’s function, utilizing no matter course of it wished to make use of. So Hawthorn didn’t, and by no means would, slander his folks. Those that went public slandered these they accused earlier than the info had been established.
Rita says we have now to pay Clarkson a seven-figure payout as compensation.
It has now been instructed by the AFL that Hawthorn ought to pay each the Indigenous households who made the allegations, together with those that leaked the contents of the report, and the three former workers compensation simply to settle the problem as soon as and for all.
The truth that the Hawthorn board is contemplating such funds is completely absurd.
Worse, it units a stunning precedent for all golf equipment sooner or later if any workers had been to make unsubstantiated public allegations solely to have them settled by mediation or settlement for monetary acquire.
Hawthorn has grow to be the laughing inventory of the authorized career that we may pay compensation to attempt to make sure we had a protected office when the traditional course of of building the reality was derailed by those that leaked the report.
When Gill McLachlan concluded his four-person panel on Might 30 this yr, he stated there have been no findings in opposition to Clarkson, Fagan or Burt.
Having stated that, it should even be right that McLachlan or the panel had concluded that there was no substance to the allegations. I settle for that at face worth.
McLachlan additionally advised me the one purpose the AFL pursued Hawthorn was to determine who leaked the report. To not punish Hawthorn in any approach. Discussions between attorneys throughout the course of accepted and stated Hawthorn was not at fault for the method it had adopted and adopted.
So why would the AFL now demand compensation paid to prosecutors and accused by Hawthorn? And what has Hawthorn really accomplished to warrant such funds? The AFL has not formulated an act or offence.
No wrongdoing at Hawthorn has really been established.
If the AFL argues that the wrongdoing was the general public publicity endured by Clarkson, Fagan and Burt, it was not attributable to Hawthorn however the relations who leaked their tales with out permitting AFL Integrity to determine the info.
I am sorry Rita, however your vilification of Hawthorn is unwarranted and mistaken. On the proof, no compensation ought to be paid by Hawthorn.
We’ve seen previously that reconciliation by no means works. We want robust, honest and correct management within the AFL and its golf equipment.
Have day.
Initially posted as Jeff Kennett: It might be absurd for Hawthorn to pay compensation for “racism report” fiasco