Hawthorn’s alleged abuse of Indigenous players looks much like modern slavery

Cue the corporate clichés: “historic allegations”; they’re being investigated; the welfare of players and staff is “our No. 1 priority”; it’s being taken “extremely seriously”.

The official line from the Hawthorn AFL club and the AFL itself seems like the warm-up to every corporate response to every major scandal of recent years — banks, insurance companies, aged care, casinos, mining companies. The line that you know means no one will be held to account, even if some board members or executives are moved on.

What the ABC’s Russell Jackson has revealed in his stunning, sickening report on the treatment of Indigenous players at Hawthorn — including players being coerced and manipulated into severing contact with family and partners and in one case demanding a pregnancy be terminated — is akin to modern slavery, and incorporates elements of it.

The indicators of modern slavery include:

• Appearing to be under the control of someone else and reluctant to interact with others
• Controlled or restricted movement
• Living at workplaces owned or controlled by an employer
• Isolation
• No discretion over life decisions.

The behaviour of Hawthorn coaching staff ticks each of these boxes in relation to their reported treatment of Indigenous players.

The modern slavery element is distinct from what is plainly an extraordinary level of racial discrimination. How many white AFL recruits from privileged, private school backgrounds were told to order their partners to terminate pregnancies, or sever contact with their families? How many were told to choose between spending time with their families and being forced to “socialise” with teammates?

If a major corporation was exposed as having treated Indigenous staff — or any staff — in such a fashion, it would be reputationally and legally smashed, investors would stampede for the exits and its board and senior executives pressed to quit on the spot.

But in Australia, sport casts a protective spell over even the most disgusting of abuses — and it’s difficult to recall anything worse than this across Australia’s major sports. Ever.

All those associated with these outrages must never again be allowed into any position of authority within any sporting body. That applies as much to Hawthorn board members at the time as the coaching staff.

Corporate Australia — and this is corporate Australia, even if shareholders aren’t involved and the industry concerned is sports and entertainment — faces another major accountability moment. Will this lead to anything more than pious words about “historic” events, lessons learnt and internal structures put in place to ensure it never happens again?

Those lines are have been so well rehearsed in recent years that you could almost write the media release ahead of time.

There needs to be punishment for these outrages, exemplary punishment that sends a signal to perpetrators that they will be held to account.

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