Contents Message from the ASC Our Partners in Sport Our Year in Focus 02 03 04 04 President 06 Chief Executive Our People Our Award Winners Our Website 09 15 16 Our Members Our Performance Financial Statements 17 32 53 17 Canoe South Australia 32 Olympic High Performance 19 Canoe Tasmania 40 Canoe Polo 21 Canoeing Victoria 41 Canoe Slalom 24 Canoeing Western Australia 43 Canoe Sprint 27 PaddleNSW 45 Canoe Marathon 30 Queensland Canoeing 48 Freestyle 49 Ocean Racing 50 Wildwater 52 Education and Safety Our Teams 69 Australian Canoeing Inc. presents this report to its members and external stakeholders for the purpose of reporting operational and financial performance for the period July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. ABN 61 189 833 125, canoe.org.au 1 1 Message from the Australian Sports Commission The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is committed to ensuring Australian athletes excel in the international sporting arena, and increasing Australians’ participation in sport. These two clear objectives are mutually reinforcing – international success inspires Australians to participate in sport and greater participation helps nurture our future champions. Sport inspires individuals, unites communities and encourages active lifestyles. Success at the international level has become even more challenging for Australian athletes. Traditional competitors keep getting better, and rising countries are becoming forces to be reckoned with. Our tenth placing in the medal table at the London Olympic Games continued a downward trend over the past three games. Through Australia’s Winning Edge 2012-2022, our game plan to move Australian sport from world class to world best, we are changing the role of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the delivery of the high performance program, improving the financial performance and position of national sporting organisations (NSOs) and strengthening the governance structures and standards of NSOs. We have initiated a fundamental reform process to improve Australian sport, by linking high performance sports funding more closely with performance; ensuring the AIS is the world’s best high performance sports institute; modernising governance structures in a number of sports; investing to improve coaching, leadership skills, talent identification and innovation in Australian sport; and reinforcing public confidence in the integrity of sport. These reforms will create lasting change and improvement. In 2013-14, the Australian Government, through the ASC, invested almost $120 million in national sporting organisations for high performance programs and to promote grassroots participation in sport. Our partner sports can expect a much sharper focus by the ASC in future on best practice governance and administration, intellectual property ownership, athlete management and support structures and general accountabilities by the sports. Equally, the ASC is committed to changing to meet the needs of contemporary sport. Importantly, the ASC is focused on promoting grassroots participation in sport throughout Australia and to continue a suite of successful national programs. Increased community sport participation has a profound long term dividend, and remains a vital objective of the ASC. The ASC looks forward to working in collaboration with the sport sector to encourage more people into sport and to drive Australia’s continued international sporting success. John Wylie AM Chair Board of the Australian Sports Commission 2 Our Partners in Sport Principal Partner The Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Institute of Sport are our principal funding partners, providing high performance and sport development resources for Australian Canoeing. We wish to recognise the ASC and the AIS High Performance Program for their continuing investment in the sport of canoe/kayak. Program Partners Australian Canoeing rests heavily on its Olympic profile to create participation and development opportunities. The ongoing funding and support of the Australian Olympic Committee and the Australian Paralympic Committee are vital. Our relationships with the national sport academy and sport institute network are the foundation for providing elite paddling opportunities to talented athletes Australia wide. The support of state and local government can never be underestimated. Official Sponsors Paddle Pals Australian Canoeing is proud to attract the support of industry partners through our ‘Paddle Pals’ scheme, suppliers and businesses who are focused on sport, paddling sport and the health and wellbeing of our members. http://canoe.org.au/membership/paddlepals-member-benefits/ 3 3 Our Year in Focus reviews have commenced with key staff, an internal board President’s Report review has commenced. AC continues to build the financial This year has been a year of consolidation and preparation for base focusing on accountability and transparency. Templating the future of Australian Canoeing (AC). This commenced with across all our disciplines is in place. We have established the the strategic forum in November 2013 where we as a group Nominations Committee, an Audit and Risk Committee and worked on our vision and strategies that will shape the the High Performance Advisory Group and succession direction of the sport for the next three to five years. planning has commenced in conjunction with the Nominations Committee. The forum delivered four key areas of focus that will become the four pillars of our rolling strategic plan for 2015 -2017. Terms of reference, bylaws, charters and further commissions, These are: advisory groups will be looked at in the coming 12 months in line with the proposed move to a company limited by • People; guarantee. • Places; • Participation; and Of specific note was that AC took part in a pilot program • Performance. offered by the ASC which was a detailed review of the Board and the executive with a view to maximising organisational Whilst governance and financial stability have been a key performance. The review was conducted over a period of focus for a number of years, the next six months will see a months by Dr Denis Mowbray and resulted in approximately shift from these as key objectives, to areas that underpin our 25 recommendations for the Board and the executive to work four key pillars. Further, the Board will be looking at the on particularly in improving internal performance. A summary commercialisation of our sport in order to diversify our of the findings has been sent to all our member States. I revenue. wanted to thank the Board, the executive, staff and all that participated in the review for their frankness, honesty and Last year I outlined 12 key areas the Board would be working maturity in dealing with some often confronting issues. on to complete our work in major governance reform and the adoption of the Australian Sports Commissions (ASC) There were two key pieces of work undertaken this year mandatory principles. which were the review of the constitution and the decision to move towards a company limited by guarantee. The result of These areas were: this work is before you today in the form of a new • Achieving gender balance on the Board of Directors; constitution and a number of resolutions in relation to moving • 360 degree annual feedback structure which will to a company limited by guarantee. include the Board; • Continue to build AC Financial Base, including I would like to take the opportunity the thank the Board transparent budgets and reporting; particularly our newest member Claude Harran, who has been • Compliance with new cross sport reporting instrumental in presenting the new constitution before the templates; members today and also to Greg Doyle and Mary Macaluso, • Implementation of a Nominations Committee; who have worked tirelessly to drive this work and to meet the • The forming of a High Performance Committee; often challenging time frames. • Implementation of an Audit and Risk Committee; • Moving to a Company Limited by shares; With these major governance strategies behind us we are • Commence the review of the Constitution; now able to look to a new era where the members and the • Succession Planning for the Board; Board can concentrate on the four pillars and importantly the • Charter or Terms Reference for the Board of AC; and commercialisation of our sport. You will have seen the new • Consider a women’s commission. look website for AC which is part of the IT upgrade that has already commenced. Board Director, James Rennell, has facilitated the first think I am extremely pleased to be able to state that we now have tank for the Board where we are looking at our brand as a gender diversity entrenched in our constitution, 360 degree truly national symbol moving forward, along with avenues and 4 ideas for the diversification into non-government funded raised goes to the UNICEF’s Mobile Health Nutrition Teams, revenue streams. You will hear more about this in the forum which target places where no other access to healthcare is that will follow the AGM. available. In the area of performance AC continues to excel. At Senior Over the past two years the Board has welcomed three new World Cup level and World Championship level, Australian members. We saw the retirement of Independent Director Athletes amassed over 20 medals in Sprint and Slalom. At Catherine Ordway during the year and we welcomed the Junior and Under 23 we also achieved another six medals. Of appointment of Claude Harran as an independent director particular note are our current World Champions Kenny bringing expertise in commercial and corporate law to the Wallace who went undefeated in the K15000m throughout Board. the season and Jess Fox who is the Under 23 and Senior World Slalom Champion in both K1W and C1W. We will see the retirement of Robbie Stewart this year and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his We also now have a World Champion in Paracanoe, Curtis expertise and advice over the past six years. I hope that McGrath for the V1200 TA. It is both pleasing and hard not to Robbie will continue to lead AC in the area of Ocean Racing.