+ AWRA’s working year began with a resounding victory when federal sports minister Sussan Ley and the Australian Sports Commission announced mandatory equal travel standards for male and female athletes and tied it to funding. Gender-neutral travel policies for national teams and athletes is an issue AWRA has campaigned on since the London 2012 Olympics.
+ AWRA new executive led by president Carol Fox, one of Australia’s first professional female lifeguards, a State-level swimmer and water polo player and professional development trainer and executive coach, took over from retiring AWRA founder Janice Crosswhite and EO Leanne Evans.
+ AWRA become an all-volunteer association with eight elected directors and 11 co-opted directors working on four sub committees: Advocacy; Commercial and Business Development; Communications and Management.
+ AWRA published its federal election women-in-sport policy platform titled A Sporting Chance in the lead up to the July 2, 2016 poll. The accompanying media release focusing on the policy’s key issues was published on at least three major media platforms.
+ AWRA advocacy with government reached new peaks. On May 12 AWRA met with Senator for NSW Jenny McAllister to seek bipartisan support for issues including gender pay equality in sport. Senator McAllister immediately started following AWRA on Twitter saying: “Jenny Mcallister ‏@jennymcallister May 12 A pleasure to meet w leaders from @auswomensport – champions for women’s equality in sport.” The Federal Opposition consulted AWRA about the formation of its election policy to put more women’s sport on ABC TV. AWRA also met with the federal member for Fraser Andrew Leigh and the federal member for Kooyong Josh Frydenberg.
+ AWRA’s advocacy with the media peaked with a record number of major media platforms publishing AWRA’s media releases.
+ AWRA rallied against the July decision by the Western Australian Institute of Sport to cut funding and close the Women’s Gymnastics High Performance Program in Perth by writing a protest letter to WA Sports Minister Mia Davies and condemning the move on AWRA’s social media platforms. AWRA’s FB post reached a record 25,560 people.