National co-operation on match-fixing laws

Federal Justice Minister Brendan O'Connor has welcomed agreement by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General to consider a consistent national approach to criminal laws relating to match fixing.
Minister O'Connor explained "As Australians we love our sport and we want to see our sporting champions battle it out on a level playing field
"Match fixing is a serious threat to the integrity of sport in Australia and we need to take steps to protect our sports sector.
"Interpol estimates that illegal betting in sport generates a turnover of around US$140 billion a year worldwide."
All Australian Governments agreed to a National Policy on Match Fixing in Sport at the most recent meeting of Sports Ministers. The policy includes proposed codes of conduct and industry standards, as well as a commitment to pursue nationally consistent criminal laws.
Law Ministers have now agreed to establish a Working Group to develop a proposal for a nationally consistent approach to criminal offences relating to match fixing in sport.
"Sport is a national industry but also an international industry. There is a compelling case for establishing nationally consistent laws against match fixing to deter this misconduct and provide a remedy where offending occurs.
The Working Group will work closely with the Match Fixing Policy Implementation Working Group established by Sports Ministers.
"As a sporting nation, it is important that we work together across jurisdictions to develop strong laws and appropriate penalties to maintain the integrity of our professional sporting sector."