Padstow Panthers Junior Rugby League Football Club and Alex Jalloh

Mr ALAN ASHTON (East Hills) [5.49 p.m.]: Tonight I bring to the attention of the House a serious matter: the denial of natural justice to the Padstow Panthers Junior Rugby League Football Club and its star 11-year-old player, Alex Jalloh, by the Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League. On 1 September 2007 Alex scored six tries and won the Player of the Match Award when the Padstow team defeated St John's, Lakemba, 32 to 22 in the under-12 grand final at Belmore Oval. According to reports in the Canterbury Bankstown Express and the Sun-Herald newspapers, at the conclusion of the game an official from the St John's club, who had also called Alex a black nigger, slapped Alex in the face. The Padstow Panthers club lodged a complaint but the Canterbury- Bankstown District Junior Rugby League dismissed it because of a lack of evidence.

On the evening that the charge was heard young Alex could not be present to give evidence as he was playing soccer for a New South Wales school representative side. He was unable to be contacted, even by mobile phone, which is not surprising for an 11-year-old boy who came to Australia as a refugee from his war-torn homeland of Sierra Leone, where his father was killed in the civil war. The Padstow Panthers club appealed against the decision to take no action whatsoever against the St John's official. The Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League appeals committee also rejected the appeal on the ludicrous ground that the Padstow Panthers club could provide no fresh evidence. However, the club had new evidence. Alex Jalloh was available to give evidence and I am told that other witnesses were there, including another young player who saw the whole incident but who could not attend the first hearing because he was on a camp.

After these allegations and appeals were unceremoniously dismissed, the Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League charged the Padstow Panthers club with a code of conduct violation relating to the publication of the alleged incident in the Canterbury Bankstown Express on 11 September 2007. For this offence the club has been fined $2,000 and, in all likelihood, will not be invited to participate in the Canterbury-Bankstown Junior Rugby League in 2008. I find it unbelievable that the Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League can choose to sweep under the carpet the most serious allegations that go to the heart of the New South Wales Child Protection Act and resort to the age-old tactic of shooting the messenger for bringing these allegations to light.

Given that the Sun-Herald edition of Sunday 16 September chose to run an editorial on the original allegations, I am surprised that the Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League did not find the editor of the newspaper guilty for also bringing it into disrepute. The editorial, which was headed "League must tackle racism for Alex's sake", tackled the Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League for threatening the club with disciplinary action because it had the hide to go public with its anger. The newspaper editorial stated:

The League is wrong and must step in to investigate whether a terrible wrong has been done to Alex. What he says happened to him is a criminal offence and should be investigated by police.

I am the proud patron of both the Padstow Panthers Junior League Club and the East Hills Bulldogs Junior Rugby League Club in my electorate. The East Hills club is the oldest club in the junior league and Padstow Panthers is the newest. It is most unfortunate that the Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League has decided to ignore serious allegations of racism and assault. The Canterbury- Bankstown District Junior Rugby League, which was formed in 1921, has produced exemplary players and officials who have represented the senior club and New South Wales, Queensland and Australian sides.

These events have got out of hand because people have chosen to cover up or, at best, not carry out any investigation into allegations brought by the Panthers club. Earlier this year an official from St John's, Lakemba, was suspended for five weeks after swearing at Alex and threatening him. I am also advised that local parents witnessed the St John's players celebrate their victory over the East Hills Bulldogs in the under-13 grand final on the far side of Belmore Oval. I am advised that at least one player bared his backside to the crowd, while other players made inappropriate gestures to rival players, parents, children and officials. Something appears to be very wrong in the handling of these allegations by the junior league.

The young player who made the original complaints is 11 years old. Local and national newspapers contacted officials of the Padstow Panthers club and they answered questions honestly. These officials are volunteers, like those at all junior leagues clubs, and should not be punished for trying to protect young Alex. The club and the player have been denied natural justice. I was advised today that Malcolm Noad, Chief Executive Officer of the Bulldogs, said that the senior club would not act because the incident had been before the junior leagues appeal committee, and that is that. I call on Malcolm Noad to reopen this case. If he cannot or will not do it, the New South Wales Rugby League should carry out its own investigation.

At the moment a battling club has been dealt a terrible blow for daring to try to protect its young players from racial and physical abuse. This matter, which has been aired in the newspapers, has been the subject of community comment. The club tried to go through the appropriate processes. Perhaps it should have gone straight to the police, who would have been forced to investigate the allegations. I am sure that would have embarrassed the Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League even more.