AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou, left, and AFL Commission Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick address the media after the Australian Crime Commission released a report on drugs and organised crime in Australian sport. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Getty Images
"I told you it was a bad idea to tap the coaches' box." Cartoon by David McArthur. Source: Herald Sun
THE AFL wants unprecedented access to wire taps and police surveillance in its fight against organised crime and doping in football.
The league confirmed it had intensified its lobbying of state and federal governments to change laws that block access to the findings of such investigations.
Specifically, it wants records of wire taps involving AFL players to be available to its bolstered integrity unity.
The AFL believes high-level co-operation is crucial to stop questionable links festering into illegal activities, including those raised in the explosive Australian Crime Commission sports report.
The AFL shares the Crime Commission's fears that casual relations with the wrong people have the potential to lead to integrity issues.
AFL deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan yesterday confirmed to the Herald Sun the push for greater information from Victoria police.
An AFL spokesman said: "In the light of the risk of corruption, the AFL believes it is vitally important to let sporting bodies work more closely with police and other agencies to protect the integrity of sport."
Current restrictions see the AFL unable to access clear evidence from Victoria Police linking players to organised crime figures.
The ACC report laid bare the danger for sportspeople to be lured into drug use - both illicit and performance-enhancing, and match-fixing.
Racing Integrity Commissioner Sal Perna is chasing similar privileges for racing and recently detailed the need for wire taps as one of the recommendations in his report into race fixing.
Perna said yesterday: "Changes to the Telecommunications Act would have to go to the Commonwealth, but there is enough momentum ... for it to be realistically entertained and discussed.
"The Privacy Act is also relevant, but in some respects it would be about interpretations of the Privacy Act (rather than a rule change).
"Let's say a (police) telephone tap is about drug importation or organised crime and as part of that there is something relevant to a sporting body. The sportsperson might have nothing to do with that crime, but it would be information which was extremely valuable to the sporting body."
Police would have the discretion to hand over information and would ensure the information did not interfere with criminal cases or operational matters.
The AFL would need legislative changes to the Telecommunications Act to allow it to gain that information, and would also need to prove it could handle any confidential surveillance or information passed on.
The AFL would have to demonstrate to law enforcement bodies it has an effective integrity unit.
It comes as the AFL moves closer to appointing a head of integrity, which would be split from the head of football operations role the league is advertising.
The sudden departure of Adrian Anderson in December left the AFL seeking a replacement, with officials Andrew Dillon and Simon Lethlean seen as strong internal candidates.
But the expectation is the integrity side of the job will become a new position that takes in the AFL's fight to ensure the game is clean of match-fixing, drugs and organised crime links.
The new role would presumably encompass the AFL's salary cap department.
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