Sport Integrity Australia (SIA)

History

In the late 1980s, there were accusations of extensive use of performance enhancing drugs among Australian athletes. In reaction to these claims, the Standing Committee on Environment, Recreation, and the Arts initiated an inquiry in May 1988. This inquiry was later recognised as a pivotal moment in the development of Australian anti-doping policy.

The committee produced two reports, tabled in June 1989, opens in a new tab and May 1990, opens in a new tab, which recommended measures to prevent and detect the use of sports drugs and restrict their overall availability. The committee also wanted government agencies and sporting bodies to demonstrate a commitment to prevent the use of drugs.¹ The government’s immediate response to the first report was to establish the Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA).

On 14 March 2006, the Australian Government launched the Australian Sports Anti Doping Agency (ASADA) with a goal of making the Tough on Drugs in sport message even tougher. ASADA combines the world class foundations of advocacy, education and sample collection pioneered by ASDA with extensive new functions of investigations, presenting cases at hearings, sanction recommendation and the development, approval and monitoring of sporting organisations’ anti-doping policies.²

On 5 August 2017, the then Minister for Sport, the Hon. Greg Hunt MP, announced a review of Australia’s sports integrity arrangements to be led by the Hon. James Wood AO QC. This review, commonly known as the 'Wood Review', resulted in the identification of 52 recommendations, as outlined in the Report of the Review of Australia’s Sports Integrity Arrangements (2018). In response to these recommendations, the Government released Safeguarding the Integrity of Sport: the Government Response to the Wood Review (2019).

Following this, Sport Integrity Australia, opens in a new tab commenced operations on 1 July 2020 under the Sport Integrity Australia Act 2020, opens in a new tab, to prevent and address threats to sports integrity and to coordinate a national approach to matters relating to sports integrity in Australia.

Documents