SUB.001.03299_01_0001
Your submission
About Wheelchair Rugby League Australia Limited
Wheelchair Rugby League Australia Limited (WRLAL) is the governing body for the Sport of wheelchair rugby league in Australia.
WRLAL originated from the founding of the New South Wales Wheelchair Rugby League Association, which was established in 2009 with the long-term focus to make it a national sport. At that time, Wheelchair Rugby League was only a demonstration sport.
WRLAL introduced seasonal competitions in 2010. The competitions raised awareness of the Sport, built skills at all levels for players, referees, coaches and sports administrators, and provided opportunities for athletes with disabilities within the league.
The organisation’s vision is to be recognised as an inclusive sport for all communities, provide
pathways for participants to represent their respective states and contribute to making
Wheelchair Rugby League a global sport. Our mission is to bring people together from all backgrounds to fulfil and enrich their lives. As a registered Australian charity, we comply with the national standards for the governance of a charitable organisation.
This submission both reiterates and expands on verbal evidence provided to the Royal
Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, Monday
12th September 2022.
Its contents relate particularly to promoting a more inclusive society that supports people with disability to be independent and live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
About Wheelchair Rugby League
The game of Wheelchair rugby league was first developed in 2000 by French rugby league players. It was considered an open activity for males and females of all ages, with and without disabilities, from the very start.
SUB.001.03299_01_0002
The Sport closely mirrors the rules of the ‘running game’, albeit without scrums, tackling or traditional play-the-balls. Teams are made up of 10 players, with five on the court at any given time. Two non-disabled players are allowed per team. It is played with a size-four football. Like running rugby league, the ball may only be passed backwards. WRL teams can include players of different ages, genders and abilities on the same team, and the Sport is played at the social and elite level, with opportunities for athletes to represent Australia’s wheelchair rugby league team internationally.
Increasing the options for sports participation for different members of the community is a big part of our mission, as the Sport is an important way to maintain health and well-being. Australian Sport Commission figures (Getting Involved in Sport: A report about people with disability taking part in Sport, Australian Sports Commission 2012) indicated that 75% of people with disability who play Sports want to play more and that 83% of those who are inactive want to get active.
Because of the unique character of our Sport, where people with and without a disability play alongside each other on the same team, we have a special capacity to connect differently-abled members of the community. Our WRL competitions and social games provide an ongoing opportunity for members of the disability community to improve their health and happiness while bringing together abled and disabled players, spectators and volunteers.
What would you like to share with the Royal Commission? Share your experiences or knowledge of violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation of people with disability.
The Commonwealth Forum of National Human Rights Institutions notes, “Sport plays an important role in society and promoting human rights. Through Sport and its principles of respect and fair play, we can unite people across borders and bridge social, cultural, and economic divides. Sport can teach us valuable lessons about non-discrimination and inclusivity and show us what equal participation can look like. Sport can challenge stereotypes, which helps us break down social barriers in society and drive progress on issues that are fundamental to the enjoyment of our human rights”.
In bringing the inclusive Sport of Wheelchair Rugby League to different parts of Australia during the past decade, we have identified that there is a significant lack of access to
Submission form - On behalf of an organisation I Page 2
SUB.001.03299_01_0003
sports participation and its health and social benefits. This is particularly relevant for people with a disability located in regional and remote areas.
We have helped to address access issues by, for example, by holding Come N Try events in more remote areas, so participants don’t need to travel to a metropolitan area to experience and be inspired by wheelchair athlete skills.
However, we still face significant challenges as a disability sports organisation in Australia that affect our capacity to give the attention needed to sports for the disabled community. These include:
Adequate funding and access to specialised equipment:
As our organisation relies on wheelchairs for the team, we face significant barriers when enabling players to participate in events, competitions and training:
-
Specialised sports wheelchairs, which we provide to players who wish to try the Sport, are priced at $6-8,000 each. The wheelchairs and other equipment also require transportation with adequately equipped vehicles and trailers.
-
The organisation also relies on sourcing and borrowing vehicles from other organisations so we can tow the sports trailer carrying the sports wheelchairs and necessary equipment.
Access to suitable venues
The Sport is played on 2 x indoor basketball courts side-by-side. We often struggle to obtain court time as we are competing for that space against a wide variety of sports organisations.
Funding for infrastructure
The criteria for State and Federal government funding for infrastructure is usually narrow and based on the general concept of improving and building structures. Yet, for disability sports organisations like WRLAL, infrastructure relates to the equipment purchased by the organisation to facilitate participants to play the Sport, namely sports wheelchairs, sports trailers and motor vehicles. Without this infrastructure, the Sport cannot be played. Without continued investment in this infrastructure, the Sport cannot grow and provide an opportunity for people to participate in an inclusive way.
Regional and remote areas
Submission form - On behalf of an organisation I Page 3
SUB.001.03299_01_0004
When in regional areas, resources are further stretched, it makes participation even harder for regional players with a disability, increasing the chances that their potential will be neglected. There are fewer opportunities to participate in differently-abled activities.
-
Travel to metropolitan centres to learn more about wheelchair athletic sports is particularly difficult for wheelchair participants who require specialised transport.
-
There are also difficulties accessing local facilities where a person with a disability could play disability sports and increase their health and well-being.
Media coverage of disability sport
As a disability sporting organisation, we still struggle to obtain our share of quality media coverage that could ultimately impact ongoing opportunities. This is particularly relevant in our ability to fund sporting activities through sponsorship etc. Media coverage of all disability sports continues to be problematic.
There also needs to be more quantity media coverage of adaptive sports events, such as the recent Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, in the mainstream media in the United Kingdom. As one article on adaptive sports coverage highlighted, “Local, national and international competitions across sports take place on a regular basis, but in relative obscurity.”
A recent article on the barriers faced by athletes with disabilities noted,
“In professional sport, it can be …the patronising and ill-informed limited media portrayal that only shows the athletes as inspirational simply for a feel-good moment for viewers,” and that just occasional coverage of major events like the Paralympics is not enough for disabled people. “If they want to play every week or twice a week, then they need more. They want to see more on television that isn’t just a major event.”
Have you shared these experiences with anyone before? Who did you tell and what happened? WRLAL gave verbal evidence to the Royal Commission via video link Monday, 12th September 2022.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us? N/A
Submission form - On behalf of an organisation I Page 4
SUB.001.03299_01_0005
Are there any suggestions or recommendations you would like to share? Include any examples of what worked well, or ideas for how things could be done better. You might also like to tell us about any people that have supported you.
Suggestions include:
-
Design and access to sporting facilities could be achieved through greater consultation with local councils and the disability community.
-
Consideration of quotas to ensure disability sport has access to community sporting facilities. Development Applications may be a place to start.
-
The concept of ‘infrastructure’ in government funding or support should be re framed or extended to consider vehicles and equipment required to play disability sports rather than always focusing on bricks and mortar. It is very rare for a disability sporting organisation to own a sporting facility.
-
Greater education of media to realise the benefits achieved through major sporting tournaments that are inclusive (for example, the recent Rugby League World Cup 2021 coverage); media corporations should commit to a greater quantity of coverage and also reframe disability sports reporting.
In a few sentences, what would you like to tell our nation about your hopes for the future?
Would you like to provide supporting material? Answer yes or no
If you answered yes, please scan and attach your file(s) along with this form.
If you would like assistance attaching your files, please contact the Royal Commission by calling 1800 517 199 or emailing DRCEnquiries@royalcommission.gov.au.
Submission form - On behalf of an organisation I Page 5