Doug PollardHow Kennett Got Involved in the Campagnolo Case
July 28th 2008 22:57
Shane Crawford, the gay-friendly Hawks star - even appeared on Joy 94.9
John Michael Howson, speaking on 3AW, asked how the hell Jeff Kennett became embroiled in the Ken Campagnolo saga, leading to his reported comments painting gay men as sexual predators and akin to paedophiles.
I know the answer to that one. Ken has been fighting the Bonnie Doon Football Club and the AFL over his sacking as a sports trainer, after his bisexuality became public knowledge. The RJM Trust, headed by former Lexton Plains Football Club President Rob Mitchell, stepped in to help Ken, picking up his legal bills and providing support.
Rob and I thought it would be a great idea to ask Jeff Kennett to be a mediator in Ken’s case. After all, he is chairman of beyondblue, the depression-fighting charity, whose policy contains the following:-
"Mental Health, Depression and Anxiety in Same-Sex Attracted People".
"Gay, lesbian and bisexual men and women may be exposed to higher levels of unpredictable, episodic, and day-to-day social stress than others because of the stigmatisation of homosexuality in western culture. Experiences with discrimination and stigmatisation have been shown to lead to greater vulnerability to depressive distress and anxiety and perhaps to higher rates of some psychiatric disorders."
The RJM Trust is already working with beyondblue on an initiative to introduce diversity policies, practices and training into the Victorian Country Football League, covering sexual orientation and gender identity.
Kennett has in the past been something of a champion of human rights, and of course he is a force to be reckoned with in footy, as the (as always) outspoken chairman of Hawthorn Football Club.
Kennett did broker a deal but it was totally unacceptable to Ken, because it sought to muzzle him (and anyone connected with him) from ever speaking publicly again about what had happened, offered only a private apology without compensation, did not include a public apology and retraction from Bonnie Doon and the AFL, and could not be reported in the press.
I should add that Ken has made it he does not wish to cause Bonnie Doon Football Club any distress by seeking compensation from them: that is the AFLs responsibility as the overarching body governing football.
In other words, Kennett colluded with the AFL and BDFC to try to make the whole issue disappear.
Naturally, Ken refused to accept any confidentiality agreement – he has been publicly vilified, likened to a paedophile, his reputation trashed, and that requires an apology, an admission of error, and public exoneration.
After the most recent VCAT hearing, the Age and the Herald Sun interviewed Kennett about his involvement, and for whatever reason, instead of urging the AFL and Bonnie Doon to come to their senses, Kennett chose to compound the public vilification of Ken – if the report is accurate, which Kennett disputes.
But Rodney Croome, of the Australian Coalition for Equality, has heard the entire unedited transcript and says that, if that transcript is accurate, then Kennett was not misquoted or taken out of context, as he claims.
Curiously, Kennett has not released his own version of the interview, nor urged the Sunday Herald Sun to do so, nor offered any detailed credible explanation of how and why he believes he was misquoted. If he was misquoted or taken out of context, surely it’s in his interest to have the unedited transcript released into the public domain.
Perhaps the Sunday Herald Sun will counter Kennetts assertion by doing just that this weekend. Or perhaps they will say they were wrong and issue an apology. Kennett is said to be applying behind the scenes pressure, which may explain why the press have suddenly gone silent on the issue. Either way, it should be an interesting read.
Hawthorn Football Club,
PO Box 829 Mt Waverley VIC 3149, Ph: 03 9535 3000, Fax: 03 9535 3050, Email: hawka@hawthornfc.com.au
Beyond Blue,
Ms Leonie Young, CEO, Administration phone: 03 9810 6100, Fax: 03 9810 6111, Beyondblue info line: 1300 22 4636, Email: bb@beyondblue.org.au
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