Senator Richard Di Natale has written to the AFL’s chief executive officer Gillon McLachlan, urging the league to reconsider the pay proposal put to players in the new AFL women’s league.
The Greens leader is calling on the league boss to consider committing to increased wages for players featuring in the inaugural AFLW season and outline a timeframe for achieving gender salary parity.
“Our beloved code continues to lead the way in supporting diversity and equality in society with this year’s Pride game, the annual Indigenous round and this – the beginning of the long road to gender equality in sport,” Di Natale says in the letter seen by Guardian Australia.
“However, the minimum match fee of $5,000 for their season, no boots and no health insurance detracts from the steps forward we’ve taken, both for the welfare of the players and for public perception of gender equality.”
Di Natale has asked that the league commit to a “legitimate professional wage” for female players, allowing them to commit fully to training and easing their professional workload outside of football.
“A commitment from the AFL to back the women’s league would also act as an enormous step toward gender equality that would resonate throughout Australia,” Di Natale says. “The AFL has a chance here to continue to lead the way in tackling all forms of inequality at a national level.”
In September, the AFL players’ association (AFLPA) knocked back the league’s first offer, claiming that the base wage of $5,000 was far too low. “We are still negotiating the standard playing contract with the AFL and at this point we are some distance apart,” AFLPA chief Paul Marsh told the Herald Sun. “These athletes have worked incredibly hard to get to this level and we strongly believe they should be provided with the same opportunities to thrive in the game as the men do.”
AFL spokesman Patrick Keane responded to Senator Di Natale’s comments, pointing to the significant investments already made to start the women’s league. “The AFL position is that the competition is a total start-up, requiring the AFL making the investment to begin eight teams from scratch into a national competition,” Keane told Guardian Australia.
“At the time of the announcement of the competition and its launch for next season, there was no broadcast deal in place for the games, no sponsorship arrangements for either the AFL or the clubs and the range of payments for both marquee players and those who are listed as part of a squad were all part of the investment to begin the league.
“The overall investment to begin the competition is several million dollars and the intention is to increase payments once other revenue sources flow for the women’s league, but this process is only just beginning now.”
Di Natale’s request came on the same day of the first AFLW draft, to which fans responded by launching a social media campaign, using the hashtag #BootsOff, to protest the pay offer. The fans are posting photos of their bare feet in support of the league’s first crop of female players, and Di Natale was quick to join in.
Congratulations to everyone selected in today's AFL Women's Draft. Now it's time the AFL ensures a full-time, professional wage. #BootsOff pic.twitter.com/u6RCrgtWK4
— Richard Di Natale (@RichardDiNatale) October 12, 2016
