Australia Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has "turned her attention to sport," according to Lane & Stensholt of THE AGE. Australian sport is suffering from what Broderick calls "gender asbestos." What she means by this "is that male domination and rule is part of the sector's foundations." And that, "she says unapologetically, is ultimately good for nobody." Under Broderick's guidance, "small groups of highly credentialled men from some of Australia's most influential areas of industry have been handpicked to tackle a national, multi-industry problem." Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley, four Australian Football League CEOs -- Richmond's Brendon Gale, St. Kilda's Matt Finnis, Collingwood's Gary Pert and Greater Western Sydney's David Matthews -- Swimming Australia CEO Mark Anderson, Basketball Australia CEO Anthony Moore, National Rugby League side South Sydney Rabbitohs CEO John Lee and A-League side Melbourne Victory CEO Ian Robson are among the foundation members. Australian supermarket Woolworths Managing Dir & CEO Grant O'Brien said that if the face -- "not to mention the inner workings -- of sport's hierarchy in Australia is to change for the better," the action must be "disruptive." What that means for sport is "getting more females into leadership roles, be it on boards, in the executive ranks, middle management and elite coaching." The "male champions of change say it is not good enough to have huge numbers of female fans; women have to be running the sports as well" (THE AGE, 5/11). In Melbourne, Lane reported in a separate piece most of Australia's top government-funded sports "have failed to meet a women-on-boards target set three years ago, with the Australian Paralympic Committee dragging the chain most glaringly." After the 2012 Olympics the Australian Sports Commission said it would be mandatory, by '15, for the directors of the sports organizations it funds to be 40% female. As of this week, nine of the ASC's top 15 funded sports -- the Australian Paralympic Committee (11% female board members), Australian Canoeing (38%), Basketball Australia (29%), Cycling Australia (25%), Football Federation Australia (22%), Swimming Australia (22%), Rowing Australia (33%), Water Polo Australia (38%) and Yachting Australia (33%) -- "were still behind that target, even if some only marginally" (THE AGE, 5/10).
