Waverley needs to get fair on footballs

Waverley Greens Councillor Dominic Kanak has called on Council to assert its stance and ensure fair trade principles are strictly followed in the purchasing of sporting equipment.

The issue has been brought to light with the recent controversy surrounding Sherrin and Canterbury – two well-renowned Australian football brands – and their illegal use of child labour in manufacturing processes.

One company Mr Kanak is hoping Council will consider is Jinta, a brand associated with the Indigenous Warlpiri community and the fair trade networks donating to remote Aboriginal groups in Northern Australia. Currently, Waverley Council sources its sporting equipment from a number of suppliers, including Sherrin, who provide AFL footballs used by local sporting teams.

At the October 16 Council meeting, Mr Kanak forwarded a motion arguing more should be done to reaffirm Council’s position on the issue.

“I’m a little disappointed that Council didn’t support the full intent of the motion,” Mr Kanak said. “We [need] to make sure that when we view the purchasing contracts, the ones we purchase for Council are from reputable suppliers where they are not using child labour in the production line.”

The program co-ordinator at Edmund Rice Centre Fair Trade, Daniel Long supports Mr Kanak’s initiative, offering to provide Council a selection of sporting goods observing fair trade and ethical practices conventions. At the Council meeting, Mr Long agreed it was a serious problem in need of addressing.

“In [September] 1990, the UN ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and this treaty came into being,” Mr Long said. “22 years later, we still have a problem … There are 11 million children engaged in hazardous work.”

Councillor Ingrid Strewe said it was important for Council to confirm its stance on the issue to promote positive values to the local community.

“Maybe we can stamp the balls with the words ‘fair trade’,” she said. “It won’t hurt to support the motion and maybe there are opportunities there for Council to explore.”

Mr Kanak said raising awareness about the issue was crucial at a community level, particularly in drawing attention to existing Council initiatives.

“I think we could have more information available about our specific policies in relation to these areas,” he said. “The general public are not aware of [our] programs and we need to get the word out in a better way.”