ASC Restorative Program
Supporting former AIS scholarship athletes who experienced harm from inappropriate practises of abuse
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Restorative Program has been established to recognise and respond to former Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) scholarship athletes who experienced harm from inappropriate practices or abuse as a result of their time at the AIS.
The ASC is committed to providing meaningful acknowledgement, care and support to these athletes.
Insights and learnings from the ASC Restorative Program (the Program) will inform future practices both internally and within Australian sport.
The Program will be managed within the ASC, but independently of the AIS.
The Program is confidential and any information you provide will be treated in accordance with the ASC Restorative Program Privacy Collection Notice.
Contact us
Our support team is available to answer any questions you may have:
- 1300 345 616
- restorative@ausport.gov.au
- 9am-4:30pm AEST, Monday-Friday (excluding national and ACT public holidays)
Eligibility
The program is available to AIS scholarship athletes from 1981 to 2013 who experienced harm from inappropriate practices or abuse as a result of their time at the AIS.
If you are unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to contact us for a confidential discussion about the application process.
Program overview
The Program provides you the opportunity to seek restoration relating to past practices or abuse from your time as an AIS scholarship athlete.
Participating in the Program does not prevent you from pursuing legal action at any time.
The Program consists of three core elements:
- access to counselling and wellbeing services via the Mental Health Referral Network, and/or
- participation in restorative engagement, such as a meeting with a senior ASC representative, and/or
- a one-off financial payment (for applicants eligible for a payment).
You will be assigned a dedicated case coordinator who will stay connected with you throughout the process.
You can choose how and when to engage with the Program elements.
If you aren’t sure about applying now, please contact us so you have time to prepare if you choose to apply at a later date.
We understand accessing the Program may bring up difficult memories and emotions and that recalling what happened can be challenging. Support is available to you.
Program elements
Participation in the Program provides an opportunity for you to raise concerns, be heard and be supported through meaningful outcomes that are designed to enable your recovery and improved wellbeing.
Access to counselling and wellbeing services
You will be eligible to access counselling and related support services to enable your recovery and improve your wellbeing.
The AIS Mental Health Referral Network (MHRN) is a group of expert psychologists and mental health clinicians available to provide confidential and specialised support to you.
Restorative engagement
The restorative engagement process provides you the opportunity to engage with a senior representative from the ASC. These engagements occur after careful preparation by a specially trained facilitator who will work with you to understand what aspects of your experience you would like to discuss with the senior representative and what potential outcomes you hope to achieve. The engagement between you and the ASC representative involves sharing your story and experiences and the representative responding to this. These engagements may be in the form of a meeting, letter, other form of exchange or to visit a particular site.
Financial payment
As a participant in the Program, you may be eligible for a one-off financial payment. Eligibility for a payment is a separate determination to eligibility to participate in the Program. Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
The Program is not a compensation scheme. Any payment is intended as a symbolic acknowledgement of an athlete’s experience and its impact, not as compensation.
A payment is not intended to affect any legal liability. An athlete receiving a payment under the Program will not be required to release the ASC from any legal liability and similarly the payment will not constitute an admission of legal liability by the ASC.
Apply
Privacy Information
Privacy Collection and Information Use
How will my privacy be maintained?
TheASC Restorative Program Privacy Collection Notice explains how the ASC manages the information that you may provide when engaging with the Program. If you are unsure of any information in this notice, please contact the Program restorative@ausport.gov.au or the ASC Privacy Office privacy@ausport.gov.au.
We will treat all personal information in accordance with the ASC Privacy Policy.
We will not share any personal information with any other agency or organisation outside of the Program without your consent, except when a disclosure is required under law or to protect the safety of an individual or others. Where a disclosure is required, the ASC will notify you of this. You can discuss any privacy concerns with your Case Coordinator at any time.
What will you do with my information?
The Program aims to demonstrate our leadership in institutional accountability, through meaningful engagement with eligible athletes and provide outcomes that will assist you to address the impacts of your experience.
The ASC is committed to improving culture and governance both internally and within Australian sport and will use the insights and learnings from the program to inform future practice