AFLW Player Katie Brennan Is Taking The AFL To The Human Rights Commission
"The fight for gender equality is as every bit as important to me as the grand final."
Western Bulldogs captain Katie Brennan has lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) over a two match ban for rough conduct that will see her miss this Saturday’s AFLW Grand Final.
Brennan will argue she has been the victim of gender discrimination, due to the fact that a male player found guilty of the same offence would have been fined but still allowed to play.
“I believe my tackle on Harriet Cordner was reasonable and I strongly disagree with the guilty finding,” said Brennan on Friday. “It is even more troubling to know that if I was a man playing in the AFL and was reported for the identical tackle, I would not have been suspended and I would be playing in a grand final tomorrow.”
“The fight for gender equality is every bit as important to me as the grand final and the decisions I have made reflect both of those priorities,” she added.
The Bulldog’s skipper was cited for a tackle on Melbourne Demons player Harriet Cordner during a match last Saturday. It was her second offence for the season, hence the suspension.
A player in the men’s competition would be fined $3000 for their second offence, but the AFLW adjudication process does not allow for fines due to the players’ meagre earnings.
The rookie wage for female players is $10,500, whereas male rookies earn a minimum of $71,500.
On Thursday, the Bulldogs tried unsuccessfully to have the suspension overturned by the AFL Appeals Board, arguing that the penalty was “manifestly excessive” and that Brennan was the victim of discrimination. The appeals board considered their submission for just 15 minutes before dismissing the appeal.
There had been speculation that the Bulldogs could mount a federal court challenge in a last ditch effort to give Brennan the opportunity to play in the season decider against the Brisbane Lions. According to The Age, Brennan ultimately decided against this course of action for fear of disrupting her teammates’ preparation.
“Both [Brennan] and the club remain resolved to right the injustice and gender discrimination which is inherent to the current AFL Rules,” said the Bulldogs in a statement. “Accordingly, Katie has this morning filed proceedings with the Australian Human Rights Commission seeking to have her suspension overturned and for the AFL to amend the differences between the AFLW regulations and the AFL regulations.”
The hope is that the AHRC will overturn the suspension so that Brennan can compete in the first round of next year’s competition.
“We are immensely proud of Katie and stand by her,” said Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains. “We share Katie’s view that her suspension was wrong and we will fully support her challenging the AFL Rules on the basis of gender discrimination.”
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan told Melbourne radio on Friday that the rules that saw Brennan suspended would be “looked at”, but that “saying we’re sexist is unfair”.