KPMG to lead review of WAIS

The state government has appointed KPMG to lead a review into the culture at the Western Australian Institute of Sport after the minister overhauled the organisation's board. 

Audit and business management firm KPMG will undertake a "holistic review" of the governance and culture at WAIS, following allegations by former athletes. 

The review will investigate the culture at the sporting body, and areas for improvement and propose recommendations to address those areas.

It comes after former WA Football Commission chairman and ex-hospital boss Neale Fong was appointed chair of the troubled organisation on Tuesday.

Also appointed to the board was former deputy police commissioner Gary Dreibergs, former senior public servant Darren Foster and Hockey WA boss Fabian Ross.

It came after nine out of the 10-person strong board recently resigned, leaving only Jennifer McGrath, a deputy director general at the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

The remaining five vacant board positions are expected to be announced in the coming week, according to Sports Minister David Templeman. 

In June 2022, federal government agency Sport Integrity Australia conducted a review of WAIS’ gymnastics program, from 1984 to 2016, which unearthed allegations that participants experienced harmful behaviour and practices.

Following the report, the state government announced it would undertake a cultural and governance review and in February launched an open tender process, of which KPMG has been successful. 

Mr Templeman said he was pleased to announce that KPMG would lead the work on the review.

"The process to appoint the right organisation has taken time, however there was a large number of responses and the department needed to properly evaluate them all to achieve the right outcome," he said.

"Now this work can start, I encourage anyone who is at WAIS now or has been in the past five years to start thinking about how they might like to contribute to this review.

"I am also pleased to announce the new board chair Dr Neale Fong, who replaces former chair Priya Cooper, as well as new members Darren Foster, Fabian Ross and Gary Dreibergs. I would like to thank Ms Cooper and the former board members for their work and commitment to high performance sport and wish them well.

"I intend to make further board appointments in the coming weeks and have asked the new board chair and members to proceed with the restorative justice process forthwith."