ASC Restorative Program
Supporting former AIS scholarship athletes who experienced harm from inappropriate practises of abuse
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Restorative Program has been established to recognise and respond to former Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) scholarship athletes who experienced harm from inappropriate practices or abuse as a result of their time at the AIS.
The ASC is committed to providing meaningful acknowledgement, care and support to these athletes.
Insights and learnings from the ASC Restorative Program (the Program) will inform future practices both internally and within Australian sport.
The Program will be managed within the ASC, but independently of the AIS.
The Program is confidential and any information you provide will be treated in accordance with the ASC Restorative Program - Privacy Collection Notice.
Contact Us
Our support team is available to answer any questions you may have:
- 1300 345 616
- restorative@ausport.gov.au
- 9am-4:30pm AEST, Monday-Friday (excluding national and ACT public holidays)
Eligibility
The program is available to AIS scholarship athletes from 1981 to 2013 who experienced harm from inappropriate practices or abuse as a result of their time at the AIS.
If you are unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to contact us for a confidential discussion about the application process.
Program overview
The Program provides you the opportunity to seek restoration relating to past practices or abuse from your time as an AIS scholarship athlete.
Participating in the Program does not prevent you from pursuing legal action at any time.
The Program consists of three core elements:
- access to counselling and wellbeing services via the Mental Health Referral Network, and/or
- participation in restorative engagement, such as a meeting with a senior ASC representative, and/or
- a one-off financial payment (for applicants eligible for a payment).
You will be assigned a dedicated case coordinator who will stay connected with you throughout the process.
You can choose how and when to engage with the Program elements.
If you aren’t sure about applying now, please contact us so you have time to prepare if you choose to apply at a later date.
We understand that accessing the Program may bring up difficult memories and emotions and that recalling what happened can be challenging. Support is available to you.
Apply
Book a confidential chat about the Program
Frequently asked questions
The ASC determines both your eligibility to apply for the Program and the support that you may receive, including any financial payment.
The ASC is committed to making consistent and fair assessments of every application.
If you are unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to contact us for a confidential discussion about the application process.
Restorative engagement is a process of formal engagement which provides athletes with an opportunity to speak to their experience and its impact (at the time and now) with a senior leader of the ASC.
You can talk to your Case Coordinator for more information about this outcome to assist you to decide if this is something you would like to do.
Support team contact details:
Phone: 1300 345 616 Email: restorative@ausport.gov.au
Yes. The Program will be managed within the ASC, but independently of the AIS, with a dedicated support team to help you through all stages of the process.
The Program support team is available to guide you through this process and talk about any concerns you may have:
Phone: 1300 345 616 Email: restorative@ausport.gov.au
The program is confidential and any information you provide will be treated in accordance with the
We will not share any personal information with any other agency or organisation without your consent, except when a disclosure is required by law or to protect the safety of an individual or others. Where a disclosure is required, the ASC will notify you of this. You can discuss any privacy concerns with your Case Coordinator at any time.
The ASC is committed to leading child and athlete safe practices for our sites and operations. See the ___SQUIZ_FILE_ID___:1061011 (File:___SQUIZ_FILE_ID___:1061011) for more information
If you are not eligible to apply for the Program you can still share your story through AIS Be Heard. AIS Be Heard is where anyone in Australian high performance sport, past or present, can feel safe to share their experiences and seek support. It’s free, independent and completely confidential. There are no obligations.
Web: AIS Be Heard Phone: 1800 565 965 (Monday – Friday 8am – 8pm AEST) Email: aisbeheard@coreintegrity.com.au
If you are unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to contact us for a confidential discussion about the application process.
The___SQUIZ_FILE_ID___:1062282 (File:___SQUIZ_FILE_ID___:1062282)___SQUIZ_FILE_ID___:1062282 (File:___SQUIZ_FILE_ID___:1062282) explains how the ASC will manage the information that you provide when engaging with the Program.
We will not share any personal information with any other agency or organisation without your express consent, except when a disclosure is required by law or to protect the safety of an individual or others. Where a disclosure is required, the ASC will notify you of this. You can discuss any privacy concerns with your Case Coordinator at any time.
Privacy and confidentiality will be always maintained by the Program, and a sporting organisation (including NSOs or state/territory institutes/academies of sport) will not be made aware of any individual cases that come through the Program, nor will they be asked to provide any information. If an individual requests for another organisation to be involved in the restorative engagement process, the other organisation may be notified of the request and supported to participate.
The ASC will collate and share broader learnings and insights from the Program with our key stakeholders, including NSOs and the National Institute Network.
The National Redress Scheme is specifically for people who experienced institutional child sexual abuse before 1 July 2018 and were under the age of 18 years at the time. This Program is in addition to the National Redress Scheme, and is available to former AIS Scholarship holders between 1981-2013 who experienced harm from inappropriate practices or abuse as a result of their time at the AIS.