Leading local and international experts from the sporting and racing industries, law enforcement, legal sector, wagering industry, sport governing bodies and intelligence agencies will converge in Melbourne today as part of a joint symposium hosted by Victoria Police, Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) and the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR)’s Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV).
This year’s event will cover topics such as integrity and match-fixing, online safety in sport, integrity in esports, sports law, illegal online gambling services and the emerging threats to gambling regulation.
The symposium, to be officially opened by Sheena Watt, Parliamentary Secretary for Community Sport, will include a presentation from Sport Integrity Australia on the importance of their law enforcement partnership program in preventing and responding to criminal threats to sport, as well the need to remain vigilant to current and evolving integrity threats in sport.
Notable guest speakers from Australia and abroad include integrity and security heads from the AFL and Basketball Australia, sports lawyer Mat Jessep, wagering integrity consultant Mark Phillips, Douglas Robinson from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, in addition to speakers from New South Wales Police Force, Victoria Police and representatives from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner and Australian Communications and Media Authority.
The keynote speaker is London based French football writer, broadcaster, author and investigative journalist Philippe Auclair who was awarded France’s ‘Scoop of the Year’ press award for his France Football investigation into the ‘Qatargate’ dossier. Mr Auclair has spent most of the past five years investigating the illegal sports betting industry and its links to organised crime, human trafficking and cyber slavery in Asia, as part of a multinational team which won the Investigative Journalism for Europe’s Impact Award in 2023.
Victoria Police’s own Sporting Integrity Unit (SIU) has successfully investigated offences committed across a diverse range of sports including football (soccer), tennis, racing and esports since its establishment in 2013.
The unit focuses on the continuous threat posed by organised crime groups and provides a range of supports to sporting organisations and regulators including integrity reporting and referral services to address a range of issues such as competition manipulation, participant safeguarding, improper use of drugs and online safety in sport.
“The conference highlights Victoria Police’s continued commitment to protect the integrity of sport through the dedicated Sporting Integrity Unit,” said Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Cindy Millen from Prevention, Intelligence, Evidence and Data Insights.
“Unfortunately, Australia continues to see instances where our competitions are the focus of both domestic and international match-fixing syndicates. Investigations into this type of criminality require law enforcement agencies both across the country and internationally to respond with a coordinated approach, incorporating all our partners.
“This annual symposium complements the SIU’s focus on collecting and sharing intelligence related to sporting integrity and mitigating the risk of infiltration by organised crime. The symposium also creates opportunity to coordinate efforts to protect participants in sport in this country.
“The SIU works with all racing and sporting bodies to enhance knowledge, collectively build capacity and continue to raise awareness of integrity and corruption issues across the sector.”
Anyone with information on integrity or corruption issues across sporting codes is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
