Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Hansard source

I table an addendum to the explanatory memorandum relating to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment (Sport Integrity Australia) Bill 2019. The addendum responds to concerns raised by the Scrutiny of Bills Committee.

I would like to thank senators for their contributions to this piece of legislation. As has been said in the chamber a number of times, Australians love their sport, and we expect our sport to be clean. When it isn't, it damages the confidence that participants and viewers have in the games they hold close to their hearts. In order to effectively identify and react to escalating risks in sport, it is essential that a cohesive, well-resourced, national-level capability is in place. The government is responding to these risks by cohesively drawing together existing sporting integrity capabilities to establish Sport Integrity Australia, with a focus on policy and program delivery, education, outreach and antidoping monitoring and intelligence. Sport Integrity Australia will be well placed to assist the sporting community prevent and address identified threats in sport.

I know that Australian sport is cherished by so many Australians, and this government is committed to comprehensively protecting Australian sport for the benefit of the community and for generations to come. Again, I thank members for their contribution to the debate on this bill and I commend the bill to the Senate.