Still no police inquiry in sport doping scandal
Date
May 30, 2013
Jonathan Swan
National political reporter
EXCLUSIVE
Three months after the blackest day in Australian sport, the federal police has yet to start a single investigation into links between criminal groups and drug use among the nation's football and athletic elite.
''Jason Clare [needs] to apologise to the many thousands of innocent sportspeople that have been unfairly smeared,'' said Coalition spokesman on scrutiny of government Jamie Briggs.
Mr Briggs accused Labor of using the dramatic media conference that made worldwide headlines as a ''political diversion'', calling it ''hysterical'', but he said the Crime Commission's report was ''undoubtedly serious''.
The controversy began on February 7, when Justice Minister Clare, alongside Sports Minister Kate Lundy and the heads of Australia's sporting codes, fronted the media at Parliament House to release the Crime Commission's report on a 12-month investigation into organised crime and drugs in sport.
''We believe multiple potential criminal offences have been committed,'' Mr Clare said then. ''We've referred that information to the Australian Federal Police, as well as state and territory police''.
Mr Clare said they had discovered widespread doping among ''multiple athletes across a number of codes'' and links between sports stars and organised crime.
Ms Lundy said: ''We are well on the way to seeking out and hunting those who will dope and cheat''.
Three months after the conference, no prosecutions have been made and the federal police said it had not initiated an investigation as a result of the report. The Victorian police declined to comment and NSW police said it had been referred information and detectives were assessing it.
But the government is still unable to name codes, clubs or players suspected of doping, casting doubts over all Australian sport. Crime Commission chief executive John Lawler said the announcement had been ''misunderstood'' and that the operation was about intelligence gathering rather than criminal arrests.
Mr Clare and Ms Lundy have since softened their rhetoric. They now argue the main sign of success is ''behaviour change'' rather than catching criminals.
Fairfax Media revealed on Wednesday senior Labor ministers criticised Mr Clare in cabinet for his ''overblown rhetoric'' and for smearing thousands of sportspeople. Mr Clare's spokesman said the minister did not regret the way he handled the announcement.
Mr Lawler said the information needed to be released publicly to ''protect life''.
