Governor-General Sam Mostyn speaks out on Sydney Swans sexual assault allegation
Governor-General Sam Mostyn says she was "shocked and troubled" by a sexual assault allegation linked to Sydney Swans players in Melbourne, speaking publicly for the first time since the story broke on 17 August.
Police have confirmed several Sydney Swans players are under investigation in connection with an alleged sexual assault at the team's hotel in Melbourne, according to 10 News. The investigation remains ongoing.
Mostyn told the ABC her first thoughts were with the alleged victim. "I hope that woman is being very well supported," she said, per ABC News.
The Governor-General's ties to the Swans run deep. Mostyn served as a Sydney Swans board member and, in 2005, became the first woman appointed to the AFL Commission — the governing body that runs the men's and women's professional game. During her 11-year tenure on the commission, she was instrumental in establishing the AFLW, the national women's competition that launched in 2017.
Mostyn most recently attended the guernsey presentation for the Sydney Swans AFLW team — the event where players receive their playing jumpers ahead of the season. She said she was expected to attend the Swans' AFLW home game this coming weekend.
Those connections give her response a particular weight. Mostyn is not a detached observer. She helped build the structure around the club and the women's game it now fields a team in.
She framed the allegation as a broader reminder. "We can never take for granted the need for constant vigilance for the respectful treatment of women everywhere," she said. Australia, she added, still has "appalling statistics" when it comes to domestic and sexual violence against women.
The investigation into the players is being conducted by Victoria Police. No charges have been laid. The Swans have not publicly named the players involved.
For a sport that has spent more than a decade confronting its culture around the treatment of women — from the AFL Commission's own reviews to club-level respect and responsibility programs — the Governor-General's words land in familiar, if uneasy, territory. Mostyn was there when the AFL first began that work. She is watching it tested again.
