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Having taken on one of the most influential jobs in Australian sport, former sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins has said the popularity of the Matildas proves there is no downside to promoting women athletes.
A former board member at AFL club Carlton and author of the Human Rights Commission’s 2021 report investigating abuse in gymnastics, the lawyer and governance expert was appointed chair of the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) on Monday.
Jenkins said the Matildas’ run to the semi-finals at last year’s World Cup was an example of how gender equality can benefit everyone. “I have been known to say ‘no Socceroo was harmed in the making of the Matildas,” she said.
She plans to introduce herself to Australia’s sporting bodies in a letter this week, seen by Guardian Australia. It says: “My vision is for sport to be safe, fair, accessible and inclusive for everyone, with every athlete supported to reach their full potential.”
Jenkins acknowledged there was still some opposition to women’s sport in Australia, but the sector had reached a tipping point and she can now use concrete examples to influence more conservative perspectives.
“The success of the Matildas was a number of years in the making with some really clear leadership decisions in football,” she said. “I would be more focused on ‘what are the decisions you’re making, and the structural investments that you’re making’, rather than working on trying to convince someone who is adamant that women can’t play sport.
“I’ve been in those conversations, and I just don’t think big change happens by me convincing people one by one that it’s a good idea.”
Jenkins replaces Josephine Sukkar, who was appointed the first female chair of the ASC in 2021.
Unlike Sukkar – who came into the role having developed deep connections with rugby union – Jenkins has had exposure to issues faced by a wide array sports.
She has worked with several of Australia’s national sporting organisations, including football, netball and golf. She has also been involved in a range of sports at community level. Jenkins enjoyed tennis in her childhood alongside gymnastics, swimming, and basketball.
The ASC is the federal government’s sports agency, and was responsible for more than $222m in sport-related grants last financial year. Its chief executive is Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Kieren Perkins, who was appointed in 2021.
Jenkins said the organisation has an important role around improving culture in the sector, noting that sport often involves complicated governance settings including federated structures, volunteers and many locations.
“There are some levers in the funding [to influence sports] but actually, we are trying to help everyone else do their best,” she said. “We are to be a positive contributor to promote the right things and to deter the not-positive things.”
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A board member who spent 20 years at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, Jenkins has largely worked as an external advisor to sporting bodies in relation to issues of governance and human rights.
She drafted the human rights assessment for Fifa for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, and has worked with the ASC, Sport Integrity Australia and the National Sports Tribunal on their integrity and complaint systems.
“If you say the most important thing is you winning, then that might mean other things that we want don’t happen,” Jenkins said.
Commonwealth Games Australia president Ben Houston said Jenkins’ “unique skill set” was critical to improvements in the sector. “Australian sport is committed to improved governance practices and the wellbeing and inclusion of all that participate,” he said.
Australian Olympic Committee president Ian Chesterman congratulated Jenkins on her appointment “to this auspicious and important role in Australian sport”.
Chesterman, in his role as advocate for Olympics sports – which typically rely more on government funding than others – said: “We have a wonderful opportunity as we move towards our home Games, Brisbane 2032, and I look forward to working together towards the common goal we have in building a thriving Australian sports system.”
Jenkins said she is looking forward to meeting the ASC staff in Canberra this week. “They’re the ones that do all the work, the leadership, the ones who are really out there and I hope I can contribute by both holding them to account, and helping them be even better.”
