Sportsview, Issue 26 - 18 July 2025

26 - 18 July 2025

SportWest Webinar Series | Right to Disconnect Laws

From August 2024, the new Right to Disconnect laws come into effect for most employers, with small businesses (less than 15 employees) to follow on 26 August 2025. This legal update, embedded in the Fair Work Act and modern awards, gives employees the right to refuse unreasonable contact outside of their working hours—promoting better work-life balance, reducing burnout, and setting clearer boundaries between work and personal time.

But what does “unreasonable” mean in practice? And how can sporting organisations manage the changes without losing flexibility or team connection?

SportWest, in collaboration with CCIWA, invites you to join us for a 30-minute webinar designed to help sport administrators understand:

What the Right to Disconnect legislation involves
How it applies to your organisation (and when)
Practical steps to create clear, fair out-of-hours contact expectations
How to handle potential challenges or disputes

Following the webinar will be a discussion on other relevant HR related legislation, plus an introduction to the services accessible to SportWest members through CCIWA.

Date: Tuesday 19 August 2025
Venue: Online
Time: 9:30am-10:30am
Details: Webinar link will be emailed to participants on Monday prior.
Registration: Closes at 5:00pm Sunday 17 August 2025
Cost: SportWest members Free | Non-members $30

Inspiring Women Series: Session 2 | Storytelling as a Leadership Superpower

In our second session of the Inspiring Women Series, we welcome trailblazing coach and powerhouse speaker Michelle Cowan. From boldly writing to all 16 AFL clubs at just 17 in search of a coaching opportunity, to becoming the first female assistant coach in the WAFL by 21, Michelle has been challenging the status quo her entire career. With accolades including Football Woman of the Year and key leadership roles across AFL men’s and women’s programs, Michelle brings unmatched insight into leading with courage, conviction, and authenticity.

An engaging and empowering presenter, Michelle will share her inspiring journey through the world of elite sport and how pushing boundaries can open new doors, not just for yourself, but for those around you.

Following Michelle’s keynote, Kate Molinari, Consultant & Facilitator at Striide, an experienced leadership and business strategist, will guide participants through a practical session on presentation skills and storytelling as a leadership tool. With a background in leadership, marketing and sales, Kate will unpack how authentic storytelling can help leaders drive change, build trust, and connect meaningfully with teams and communities. Whether you’re leading in sport, business, or life, this session will help you find your voice and use it to lead with impact.

This session is designed for both emerging and established female leaders who want to amplify their impact and lead with greater confidence.

Date: Wednesday, 6 August 2025

Time: 4pm-6.30pm

Venue: Sport HQ

Cost: SportWest Members $25 | Non-members $38.

Details: Light afternoon tea provided

RSVP: Friday, 1 August 2025

Perception is OUR Truth – Cultural Immersion with Sharon Wood-Kenney

Last week during NAIDOC Week, members of the True Sport Advisory Group, Cultural Navigation Advisory Group, and SportWest staff came together for a transformative Cultural Immersion session led by SportWest’s incredible Cultural Navigation Lead, Sharon Wood-Kenney.

This wasn’t just a professional development day, it was a deeply moving experience that invited us to sit, listen, learn and unlearn, and reflect. Together, we explored the importance of caring for all people respectfully, while building a cultural lens across sport, education, and community.

We unpacked the difference between trauma and culture and considered how human-centred thinking can drive behavioural shifts toward reconciliation and equity.

It was a day of truth-telling, self-care, and collective learning. We left with full hearts, new tools, and a renewed commitment to walk together toward a future we can be proud of, for generations to come.

A heartfelt thank you to Sharon, her wonderful daughters Paige, Jess, and Lacie, and the amazing Uncle Frank, for creating a safe space where learning, listening, understanding, and growing are possible.

Mental Health First Aid Day

This year, on Tuesday 19 August, join Mental Health First Aid for the inaugural Mental Health First Aid® Day – a national day of action to celebrate and raise awareness of the vital role MHFAiders® and Instructors play in creating circles of support across our communities.

For 25 years Mental Health First Aid (MHFA®) has been building circles of support around people facing mental health problems. Even though 8 million people worldwide and 1.5 million Australians are trained, MHFA remains one of our country’s best-kept secrets – but we believe it’s time to change that!

The first ever Mental Health First Aid Day is an opportunity to spotlight the global impact of MHFA, raise awareness of MHFA as an essential life skill, and encourage more life-saving conversations worldwide.

We know with the right knowledge and skills, every conversation can be a turning point in someone’s life. That’s why this year’s theme is #MakeEveryConversationMatter.

Find out more

Inclusion and participation webinar | Moving from a Bolted On to a Baked In Inclusion Approach

The Inclusion and Participation webinar series is run by Inclusive Sport Design (ISD) in partnership with the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport.

With practical, actionable steps, these interactive sessions will equip you with the tools and insights needed to cultivate a sport that truly embraces diversity and inclusivity and drives participation. Let’s lead the way in inspiring meaningful change on and off the field!

This session guides organisations through the shift from tokenistic or project-based inclusion ("bolt-on") to a systemic, strategic, and embedded model of inclusion ("baked-in").

The session will outline a transformation framework and provide practical tools for embedding inclusion into sport metrics, design, governance, and delivery.

Date: Wednesday 23 July 2025

Time: 9:30am - 11:00am

Safeguarding 101 for Sporting Clubs | Tuesday 12 August 2025

Sport Integrity Australia, in collaboration with the WA Government and SportWest, invite you to attend a Safeguarding 101 session for sporting clubs.

This session will provide you with the opportunity to increase your understanding about how to create and maintain a child safe environment in your club. You will also learn about who and how to report concerns about a child or young person.

We encourage you to attend in person to engage directly with presenters, ask questions, and make the most of networking opportunities.

Date: Tuesday 12 August 2025

Time: 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Where: Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport Conference Room, 246 Vincent Street, Leederville or online via Microsoft Teams. Link to be sent closer to the session date.

WA Integrity Network Forum | Wednesday 13 August 2025

Sport Integrity Australia, in collaboration with the WA Government and SportWest, invites members of the WA Integrity Network to join us for a special networking opportunity on Wednesday 13 August.

This forum will provide you with the opportunity to hear from guest speakers about the latest sport integrity information.

Presentations will include:

A sport integrity case study: Baseball WA working in collaboration with Baseball Australia to enhance sport integrity in WA.
SportWest: an overview of the establishment of a WA Sport Mediation and Resolution Service.
Sport Integrity Australia: safeguarding in sport case study.

Date: Wednesday 13 August 2025

Time: 9:00 am to 11:30 am

Where: Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport Conference Room, 246 Vincent Street, Leederville. Morning tea will be provided.

WA Sport Mediation & Resolution Service | Survey

As part of the ongoing True Sport commitment in strengthening the capability of sports across Western Australia, we are pleased to share an exciting new initiative.

SportWest, in partnership with the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport (CITS) and in collaboration with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) and the National Sports Tribunal (NST) is working to establish a WA Sport Mediation and Resolution Service.

The service is being designed to provide a trusted, qualified, and independent option to support State Sporting Associations (SSAs) in managing disputes and complaints. It will complement, not replace, your existing internal tribunal systems and processes.

The service will primarily offer independent mediation and conciliation for matters referred by SSAs, particularly those involving governance issues, conflicts of interest, internal grievances or broader disputes that would benefit from neutral facilitation.

Importantly, matters can only be referred to the service via a formal request from the SSA to SportWest. The service will not intervene in cases unless requested and will not duplicate existing processes.

To ensure SportWest develops a service that meets the needs of our Members we seek your valued support in completing a brief online survey via the link below

Complete the Survey

True Sport Bouncing Back | Safety on the Sidelines

As an extension to the True Sport Sideline Behaviour and Mental Health & Wellbeing Initiatives, SportWest will be rolling out the Bouncing Back Program, which incorporates de-escalation training and mental health awareness, in partnership with respected Mental Health provider, Richmind WA.

Richmind WA’s Bouncing Back program is a strengths-based initiative designed to promote mental wellbeing, reduce stigma, and build resilience in community settings - especially through the power of sport. Delivered in partnership with SportWest and proudly supported by the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport, this program helps clubs and communities create safe, supportive environments where everyone can thrive.

What you’ll learn