Sport volunteers and referees are to be better protected from violent behaviour, with the State working to introduce stricter penalties for offenders.
The announcement from Minister for Sport, Steve Kamper, follows the recent attack on a referee in Sydney’s south-west.
Mr Kamper said Government had begun working with major codes, venue operators and community groups to investigate new penalties aimed at protecting sporting volunteers and referees.
He said that with a huge number of people in NSW regularly participating in organised sport, the need for volunteers and referees had never been greater.
“Without volunteers there is no grassroots sport – we must do everything in our power to ensure they feel safe and respected,” Mr Kamper said.
“Whether you’re an aspiring Olympian looking towards Brisbane 2032, or just want to kick a ball around with some friends, sport brings us all together,” he said.
“The recent violence experienced by Khodr Yaghi, was shocking and unacceptable and more needs to be done to stamp out this behaviour.”
Mr Kamper said Government was exploring stricter policies to punish violent or abusive behaviour, including lifetime bans from all sporting venues, sanctions against teams or clubs where individuals were allowed to be involved after being suspended, and a greater campaign to encourage respectful behaviour.
He said these mechanisms and sanctions would be tailored to individual sports and would be developed through deep consultation to ensure their effectiveness.
