I would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples as the traditional custodians of the Canberra region.
We have said before that the world is in a state of change as geopolitical contest reaches new heights, across all domains…
Economic, diplomatic, strategic, and military, science, technology, culture, education.
And of course, sport.
Because as a tool of statecraft, sport has the power to inspire, to influence, and to change perspectives and narratives about a nation, and its people.
It can build relationships, and habits of cooperation, shape international perceptions, and express enduring values.
Australia has certainly used sport in this way.
Through sport, we’ve created links across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, links that are institutional, personal, and a basis for broader connection.
Look at the PNG Chiefs who’ll enter our NRL competition from 2028, deepening our critical relationship with Papua New Guinea alongside our cooperation in defence, trade, and investment.
With sport, we can also project who we are – a prosperous, diverse, and inclusive nation, home to the world’s oldest continuous culture, and to people from every country on earth.
Look at the Socceroos right now, whose diversity of cultural and ethnic backgrounds is a picture of modern, multicultural Australia.
Sport helps us live our values of integrity, fairness, respect for human rights, gender equality and the rule of law.
And we see this with the Afghan women’s XI cricket team, who in defiance of the Taliban regime played their first game in Melbourne last year.
This power, as all of us in this room know, makes sport one of the most effective instruments of soft power for any nation.
It makes sense more nations are using sport as part of their statecraft.
But it’s not always in a sporting way.
Today we are seeing the appropriation of sport for purposes that have nothing to do with athletic competition, but to mask illegality, or corruption, or human rights abuses – to normalise and legitimise international standing when there is otherwise none.
Now, four years ago, the world stood together in solidarity with Ukraine and in condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Australia is steadfast in our support for Ukraine, and the Government has committed over $1.8 billion in total assistance, including $1.6 billion in military support to help Ukraine defend itself.
Australia has also imposed over 1,800 sanctions on Russia and its supporters and will continue to stand by Ukraine and condemn Russia’s actions.
The global condemnation of Russia was at its heart an expression of the outrage at Russia’s affront to international law, its unwarranted military aggression, and the deaths and destruction and displacement it was deliberately and to this day is still bringing about.
That condemnation found voice in diplomatic isolation, in economic sanctions, and international censure.
As one, the world came together to decide that Russia should not be allowed to project itself as a nation that respects the rule of law.
And that Russia should be barred from using sport to neutralise the stand that the nations of the world have taken.
Ever since, Russia has fought against that condemnation.
Its aim has been to chip away at international unity, to erode that global solidarity, and to render as insignificant as possible the consequences of its aggression against Ukraine.
It has done this on a broad array of fronts.
Through cultural institutions, through media platforms, through commercial organisations.
And, of course, it has done so in sport.
And, four years on, those efforts are beginning to yield fruit.
Last September, member organisations of the International Paralympic Committee voted against maintaining the partial suspension of Russia, in effect, restoring it to the full membership status it possessed before its invasion of Ukraine.
In November, the governing body for judo removed its restrictions on Russia.
In January, the world body for taekwondo did the same.
In April, World Aquatics removed its restrictions on Russian athletes, paving the way for Russia to compete in the Water Polo World Cup.
And, in the last two months, World Gymnastics and the Union Cycliste Internationale have followed and done the same.
We respect that sporting organisations are independent from government – and that it’s up to individual organisations to determine whether Russian or Belarusian athletes and teams can participate.
But these decisions are deeply disappointing to Australia.
They represent a break in global solidarity.
They create a precedent for ending Russia’s isolation.
And they augur a normalising of relations with Russia – even as it continues its campaign of violent aggression in Ukraine.
Australian community sentiment remains strongly supportive of Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal invasion.
And so we ask that you consider this when representing your organisation in international settings, and when your international governing bodies are taking decisions about Russian participation.
And to think about community expectations – will people want to attend events where engagement with Russia is normalised, and human suffering is ignored?
This is, sadly, the broader geostrategic environment we are now operating in, and which you now need to contend with, as part of your engagement with the world.
Another element to this, is increasing conflict and contagion, and the risks this brings to your athletes, your staff, and their travel.
We saw when the conflict in the Middle East closed airspace in many countries and stranded hundreds of thousands of travellers worldwide.
In amongst this number were more than 100,000 Australians including Australian tennis players in Fujairah in the UAE, there for an international tennis tournament.
Many others deferred or cancelled travel plans and sports matches and competitions were no exception – like Maccabi Australia, which cancelled plans for around 300 athletes and 60 support staff to travel to Israel for the 22nd Maccabiah Games.
Now you will have seen we have recently downgraded travel advice for Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from Do Not Travel to “Reconsider your need to travel…”
And for Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia we have downgraded advice to ‘Exercise a high degree of caution’.
But the situation in the region remains volatile, and there is still a risk of further attack, or escalation, with little to no notice.
It’s still difficult to plan ahead – so what can be done?
How can you plan your engagement, and events, out in the world, when faced with this growing uncertainty and instability?
Our priority is and always will be the safety and security of Australians and this of course includes your athletes, staff, and their fans.
And while all travel carries some element of risk, checking our Smartraveller advice when you are planning to travel or transit through an overseas destination can help ensure everyone is prepared, and informed, of potential dangers or distractions.
And when things shift, when a law changes, where risks intensify, when weather causes calamity or cancellation or where unrest grows, we will update Smartraveller advice in real time.
Smartraveller also provides useful advice on cultural sensitivities, local laws and restrictions, and common exemptions to travel insurance coverage.
And when the unexpected, or the disastrous happens, we are also there to help.
We can provide consular services to Australians, from issuing replacement passports, to providing advice to Australian victims of crime, or for those arrested or detained overseas including welfare checks, or help finding interpreters.
We are keen to continue working with you to make sure you feel supported, prepared, and informed, ahead of major international travel.
And to equip your athletes with the relevant local awareness and advice so they have what they need to act as representatives of your sport and of our country.
So, if you are planning international travel, or engagement I encourage you to reach out to your contacts in the Sports Diplomacy area, who may be able to provide you with specific information about your travel destination, or connect you to our Post network.
As our strategic environment shifts, as the power of sport is used for good and ill, as our interconnectedness brings crisis alongside opportunity, there are always going to be risks as we go out into the world.
But we will do all we can to help you make informed decisions about the safety and security of your athletes, your staff, and fans, and about how best to navigate the geopolitical dynamics at play and protect the integrity of sport.
Because together we can ensure that sport continues to bring people together.
As we approach the Commonwealth Games just next month in Scotland, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and of course the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane…
In this ‘green and gold decade’ for Australian sport, so that we guard its power and steward it for the future.
Thank you.