Australia’s elite netballers have expressed their disappointment that an artist who performed at last week’s Super Netball grand final has previously pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges.
Siala Robson, who appeared on The Voice in 2020, was one of three Universal Music singers selected to entertain more than 15,000 netball fans during half-time at Rod Laver Arena last Saturday.
Robson appeared in court in Queensland last year and pleaded guilty to two charges of assault occasioning bodily harm in a public place while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance. No conviction was recorded and Robson was ordered to pay $1,000 in compensation and given a community service order of 60 hours.
Players union the Australian Netball Players’ Association [ANPA] issued a statement on Friday expressing the distress of their athletes.
“ANPA is extremely disappointed that an individual, who has previously been found guilty of domestic violence charges, was engaged to perform at one of the sport’s premier events,” it said.
“This decision has caused genuine hurt among the playing group and undermines the values they stand for – particularly their strong and ongoing commitment to ending domestic violence in Australia.”
Netball Australia issued a statement saying they were not aware of the offences committed by Robson before the event and the matter was only brought to their attention after the match.
“Netball Australia has a zero-tolerance position on violence and actively campaigns against domestic violence with the support of our playing group, who are deeply connected to this society-wide issue,” it said.
“With respect to the necessary checks and balances in place, we relied on the third-party agency we partnered with to supply the talent. This was not sufficient and Netball Australia will immediately strengthen its event risk management protocols to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Universal Music has been contacted for comment.
ANPA said they acknowledged Netball Australia has accepted responsibility for “this serious oversight” and appreciated the governing body’s commitment to ensuring it does not happen again.
“Our players have consistently used their platform to advocate for change,” the union said.
“They wore purple armbands at every Suncorp Super Netball match last year to raise awareness of violence against women, recently produced a video reaffirming their commitment to being part of the solution, and continue to work on further initiatives aimed at making Australia safer for all.”
Melbourne Vixens defeated West Coast Fever in the entertaining decider, watched by a record crowd of 15,013. The total attendance for the Super Netball season was 386,455, making it the past year’s most-attended women’s sporting league in Australia.
• In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org.
