The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has released its report on its inquiry into Sport Integrity Australia’s (SIA) management of Australia’s National Anti-Doping Scheme. The inquiry reviewed and further examined issues raised in Auditor-General Report No. 27 of 2024-25.
The Chair of the Committee, Josh Burns MP, stated that ‘SIA plays a critical role in safeguarding the integrity of Australian sport. As a regulator of the National Anti-Doping Scheme, SIA must operate with effective governance and management arrangements, a risk-based regulatory approach, and effective safeguards against regulatory capture.’
‘Evidence presented to the inquiry aligned with the audit findings, and the Committee identified several concerns with SIA’s regulatory practices,’ Mr Burns said. ‘In particular, SIA’s approach for sports that fund their own anti-doping testing was not consistently risk-based. The Committee was also not satisfied that SIA has adequate controls to mitigate regulatory capture risks or ensure consistency in its regulatory activities.’
‘When a regulator’s performance of its legislated responsibilities is found to only be partly effective, it undermines confidence in its work—both for the Parliament and among the public.’
The Committee made three recommendations to address some of its concerns:
- that SIA develop effectiveness and efficiency performance measures for anti-doping testing and investigations as required by the Commonwealth Performance Framework
- that SIA establish a formal policy on the acceptance of gifts and benefits, with the policy to be actively communicated to all regulated individuals and entities and be published on SIA’s website
- that SIA establish a template for athlete lists provided by regulated entities that includes documented risk factors, and information provided in this format should be made a requirement.
The report is available for download on the inquiry website.
Media inquiries
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