At the time of writing, over 80 sports have signed up to the National Integrity Framework (NIF) via their national sporting organisation (NSO). Even though they themselves may not have directly signed up to the NIF, all members and affiliates of those NSO’s that have (in most cases the state sporting organisation (SSO)), are bound by it. If the NIF is adopted by the SSO, it is then in turn binding on its members and affiliates.
That carries with it a number of responsibilities and duties that many sporting entities may not be fully aware of. If you are a club, member, or affiliate of an NSO or SSO that has adopted the NIF, what do you need to report to Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) under the NIF?
Anything that may constitute Prohibited Conduct in a NIF policy must be reported to SIA. It is a breach in itself if such conduct is not reported, as is concealing information about Prohibited Conduct.
Prohibited Conduct is defined in the NIF, and matters that fall within the definition include abuse, harassment, sexual misconduct, victimisation, unlawful discrimination, competition fixing, concealing, and grooming to name but a few and are set out in detail in the various NIF policies. A single incident at any level that falls within a defined category of Prohibited Conduct must be reported directly to SIA via the online reporting system.
We have found that those sports whose NSO’s have been communicative with their members and affiliates throughout their process of adopting the NIF are well placed. However, in turn, many sporting organisations at a local level are not fully aware of their reporting obligations to SIA.
We encourage all local organisations whose NSO has signed up to the NIF to make themselves fully informed of their reporting obligations and requirements under the NIF by reading the policies adopted by its NSO (or SSO) and the useful information contained on the SIA website. In turn, we recommend NSO’s and SSO’s consider whether appropriate communication has been passed down to its constituents (over and above the NIF policies being published on its website).
