Australian Athletes with a Disability - History
Australian Athletes with a Disability (AAWD) was established at the request of the Australian Sports Commission in April 2003. It is responsible for the administration of its member organisations, being:
- Australian Sports Organisation for the Disabled Inc. (ASOD)
- Cerebral Palsy Australian Sport and Recreation Federation Inc. (CPASRF), and
- Wheelchair Sports Australia Limited (WSA)
These national organisations act through their State and Territory members to facilitate recreational and sporting opportunities for people with a disability.
AAWD and its member organisations perform the role of national coordinating bodies, providing a single point of contact between partner organisations (e.g. National Sports Organisations (NSOs) ASC and APC) and State and Territory members (e.g. Wheelchair Sports NSW, Wheelchair Sports Victoria, Sporting Wheelies Queensland and Disabled Association, etc).
AAWD through WSA administers the Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Basketball national leagues, and the Lawn Bowls Multi-Disability National Championships, providing opportunities for the development of athletes at a national level and supporting elite pathways.
The following details benefits achieved:
Financial
Funding that was previously provided to each of the three member organisations by the ASC, is now paid to AAWD.The benefit to AAWD was that it was able to employ a qualified, full time Executive Officer, to run the operations of its three member organisations. As a result, a number of additional financial efficiencies were realised, including maintaining one website, operating from a single premises and identifying organisations to provide pro bono services, including legal, audit and insurance.
Administration
As a result of the creation of AAWD, administration was also centralised for its members. Not only is AAWD able to efficiently undertake the administration necessary to run three businesses (ie. ASIC filings, financial statements, other company secretarial duties); it has also been able to improve the quality, and invest in the development of systems and processes that had previously been beyond its means (ie. operational policies and procedures, a Board charter, Board performance evaluations) all of which are available to members, and the members of members.
Collaboration
Possibly the most significant benefit to members of the establishment of AAWD was increased collaboration. Not only did members previously compete against each other for a share of the same limited financial pool, but by focusing on the particular groups that they each represented, they focused on their differences and not their common goals. Over the last few years the members of AAWD, operating through a joint Executive Officer, have focused on collaboration and the disadvantages of fragmentation (i.e. the lack of alignment, lack of role clarity and duplication of effort) have been minimised.
Governance
At inception the Board of AAWD comprised a representative from each of its three member organisations, as well as two independent directors, who were not aligned with the disability sport sector and had no allegiance to any member organisation.
In its first year the Board invested time to develop a comprehensive Charter that addresses the role of the Board, its Directors, Chair, Company Secretary and Executive Officer, Director selection and appointment, Director code of conduct, conflict of interest and related party transactions, the conduct of meetings, delegation of authority and risk management and compliance practices.
The Board also adopted an annual Board Performance Evaluation to monitor its effectiveness, and identify areas for improvement.
These annual evaluations apply to the Chair, individual Directors and the Executive Officer.