Australia Will Cut Funding From Sports Governing Bodies That Do Not Include Women

Australian sporting organizations that do not include women in their governance structures "could lose their funding" from the Australian Sports Commission, according to Patrick Smith of THE AUSTRALIAN. Following the London Games, federal Sports Minister Kate Lundy "believes Australia has fallen behind the world in good governance, with women overlooked in running Australia's Olympic sports." Lundy will introduce her "demand for better governance" Friday when she addresses the Australian Rugby Union women's lunch in Sydney, her first speech since returning from London. Her speech will include: "Those sports that will grow, those sports that earn the right for our investment, will increasingly be able to demonstrate their strength in governance." Lundy, along with the Australian Olympic Committee, believes funding for sport is not the problem. Lundy will say in her speech, "The challenge is spending it effectively" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 8/17).