'Dark underbelly' of Australian fitness clubs exposed in media report

A report the News. com.au website has today highlighted a "dark reality" of a number of Australian gyms - and the efforts of AUSactive to introduce mandatory national licensing for all gym and fitness operators.

The report, Dark underbelly of Aussie gyms exposed states "Australia’s booming fitness industry is facing a reckoning, as gym owners and industry leaders demand urgent government action to address a surge in dodgy operators and criminal infiltration."

It goes on to chart how "from the Gold Coast to Melbourne, gyms have become targets for criminal elements, with rumours of money laundering, gang involvement and fire bombings linked to bikie gangs and organised crime.

"Most notably, a Melbourne gym linked to Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim was targeted in an arson attack in October last year, prior to the gangland figure’s murder in January.

"In 2023, a gym in Dandenong was subject to a dramatic arson attack when a car was driven through the front doors, and an accelerant poured throughout the building and set alight."

It also references the 2018 shooting murder of former bikie boss Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi in the car park of Fitness First Rockdale.

The report goes on to quote gym owners expressing their concerns, with one operator stating "my concern is that criminals and gangs are now infiltrating the fitness industry and using gyms as a front for money laundering and other activities.

“We need to get them out and stop them from involvement. The majority of the industry is professional, and introducing a law to ensure that all gyms and fitness centres are run by licensed operators will help lift the industry to a higher level of professionalism and accountability.”

It goes on to reference AUSactive role in trying to advance higher industry standards, citing the Register of Professionals and its National Fitness Industry Code of Practice which outline best practices, safety protocols and ethical conduct - but notes "all are voluntary".

The report references how the right policy support could, AUSactive argues, “transform the fitness industry into one of the most professional, consumer-trusted sectors in the health ecosystem."

In November 2023, the AUSactive Board unanimously agreed to explore an accreditation concept for the fitness industry.

At the time, AUSactive Chief Executive, Barrie Elvish told Australasian Leisure Management that the fitness and exercise industry “wants to be taken seriously, with an acknowledgement of the integral role we play in Australia's preventive health and for there to be a deconstruction of the nation’s established health industry paradigm."

Click here to view the full report.