Gymnastics Australia joins national redress scheme to compensate survivors of child sexual abuse

Gymnastics Australia has joined the national redress scheme set up in response to the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, more than two years after it began the process.

The national sporting organisation is part of a group of six sporting bodies joining up to the scheme today, after years of uncertainty about whether it could meet the government’s requirements.

Advising that the move is a significant step forward for Australia’s gymnastics community,

Gymnastics Australia Chief Executive, Alexandra Ash stated “we recognise and commend the bravery shown by those who have come forward to share their story of mistreatment while involved in our sport.
In response, child sexual abuse survivor and former gymnast Alison Quigley said she was “cautiously thrilled” by the development, advising “I can’t speak for all survivors - for some this will be amazing news, for others it might be just a sense of relief, and for another cohort there will just be a sense of frustration it took so long.”

In comments provided to a parliamentary inquiry into the operation of the national redress scheme earlier this year, Ash said there had been “significant complexity” about sports joining the scheme, noting “these complexities include the financial position of organisations, federated models of sports, options of guarantors to financial arrangements, entity status, roles and responsibilities of entities and at the time of abuse.”

She also revealed the Australian Olympic Committee had been approached to fund Gymnastics Australia’s application of the scheme, but had declined.

Gymnastics Australia has not disclosed what has changed to allow it to join, including whether financial guarantees had been secured from any third parties.

A statement issued by the organisation said today’s news “follows two years of significant organisation reform”.

Gymnastics Australia is part of a group of six sporting organisations to join the scheme in the latest cohort. The others are Little Athletics Australia, Softball Australia, Swim Centres, Gymnastics Victoria, Campbelltown District Netball Association and Belnorth Football Club.

Under the scheme, survivors who have experienced child sexual abuse at participating organisations can receive a payment of up to $150,000, as well as access to counselling and psychological care and a direct personal response for historic child sexual abuse.

More than $1 billion has been paid to survivors since the scheme began in 2020.

Overall, there are almost 500 non-government organisations now participating in the scheme.