Australian Rules-AFL names panel to probe Hawthorn allegations

MELBOURNE : The Australian Football League has appointed two Aboriginal Australian barristers on a four-person panel to investigate allegations of mistreatment of Indigenous players at Hawthorn.

The panel includes Jacqualyn Turfrey, a criminal lawyer and member of the Palawa people of Tasmania state, and commercial lawyer Tim Goodwin, a member of the Yuin people of the Southeast coast of New South Wales state.

Julie Buxton, a barrister with experience in Aboriginal justice and human rights, is also on the panel led by prominent trial lawyer Bernard Quinn.

AFL General Counsel Andrew Dillon said it was important the panel had a "strong and diverse mix of experience and skillset as well as First Nations representation".

He said, "These are very serious allegations, and it is important that we have an independent panel that is able to ... provide natural justice to those making the claims and those who have had claims made against them."

The panel will investigate accusations about the treatment of Indigenous former players at Melbourne-based Hawthorn, including one that coaches urged a player to have his partner's pregnancy aborted.

It will look specifically at the period from 2008 to 2016, the AFL said, with its report expected by December.

The accusations by the unidentified players figured in an independent review commissioned by Hawthorn and were reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation last week.

Former Hawthorn head coach Alastair Clarkson and his one-time assistant Chris Fagan have denied any wrongdoing during their time at the club.

The AFL added that it did not know the identity of any of the players who made the allegations, saying their legal representatives had denied requests for their identities.