Sports Law in Australia, Fourth Edition

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this practical analysis of sports law in Australia deals with the regulation of sports activity by both the federal and state governments as well as private sports organizations. The growing internationalization of sports inevitably increases the weight of global regulation, yet each country maintains its own distinct regime of sports law and its own national and local sports organizations.

In Australia, sports law at national, state and even grass roots level is becoming increasingly regulated. What is occurring is the creation of an increasingly complex regulatory framework governing sports at all levels. It is not only challenging for lawyers but even more so for sports administrators. In the case of sports administrators, failure to understand and/or comply with all these rules and regulations is not a legal defence to a court action and at the very least can have serious financial consequences for both the organisation and the administrator.

The book describes and discusses both state-created rules and autonomous self-regulatory aspects of sports activities. Self-regulation manifests itself in the form of by-laws, and encompasses organizational provisions, disciplinary rules, and rules of play.

The trend towards greater regulation in sports is the result of a number of factors including economic, social and cultural relevance of sports in the community as well as work, health and safety considerations. These factors have prompted public authorities and sporting bodies to respond through increased regulation including, business structures, corporate governance, criminal law (including not only assaults but doping and match-fixing), labour law, commercial/contract law, tax law, competition law, dispute settlement, and tort law.

This monograph fills a gap in the legal literature by giving academics, researchers and lawyers (both local and overseas) representing parties with interests in Australia access to sports law cases and regulations. Importantly, the monograph also provides sports administrators with an understanding of the complex regulatory framework that now governs sports in Australia today and will help guide them as to when to seek legal advice and to minimise exposure to litigation.