Essendon verdict: Players not at fault, says Bill Shorten

Bill Shorten has sided with the current and former Essendon players found guilty of doping offences and who will miss the entire 2016 season, insisting they are "paying a big price for other people's decisions".

"These players put their trust in people, and I believe have been systematically let down and now they are carrying the can," the Labor leader told reporters.

Speaking hours after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the World Anti-Doping Agency appeal, Mr Shorten refused to be drawn by claims that political interference by the former Labor government had drawn out the length of this case.

Health Minister Sussan Ley had earlier declined to comment on the "specifics" of the ruling, but issued a statement saying: "There is no doubt that protracted legal appeals and the political interference of the previous Labor government drew out the length of this case and frustrated fans, players, administrators and authorities alike."

Two years ago, the Gillard government was accused by the Coalition of using a year-long investigation by the Australian Crime Commission into the use of peptides and hormones by professional athletes as a diversion from several controversies and leadership tensions.

The commission's report was released at a press conference on February 7, 2013, two days after Essendon asked the AFL to investigate concerns about the potential inappropriate use of supplements during the 2012 season.

The then justice minister, Jason Clare, told the press conference, attended by the heads of the major sporting codes, that the findings were shocking and would "disgust Australian sports fans".

ASADA's chief executive officer Ben McDevitt said on Tuesday the way the report was released was "ill-timed" and "ill-conceived", and that former head of ASADA, Richard Ings' comment that the report marked the "blackest day in Australian sport" was "not helpful".

"It obviously placed ASADA in an extraordinarily difficult position in being able to then do its job and determine whether or not some of the things some of the things being spoken about had a factual basis."

One of the reasons its investigation took so long was that it needed laws to be passed to give it the powers it needed for it, he said.

Mr Shorten dismissed Ms Ley's critique as an attempt to "play politics" with Tuesday's decision, insisting his thoughts were with the players who had been caught up in the scandal.

"My first thoughts are not about trying to play Liberal versus Labor. It's about the players and families who put their trust in people and have been let down," he said. "They are the ones who have now got to face the prospect of their careers being jammed or delayed through no fault of their own."

He also empathised with football fans and the Essendon Football Club, which is in his Maribyrnong electorate in Melbourne's north-west.

Relying on media reports of the decision, Mr Shorten said his heart went out to the players who were "the meat in the sandwich".

"They are caught up in something which they never, from what I've seen, understood, and I think that they are paying a big price for other people's decisions."

Greens leader Richard Di Natale has called for a broad-ranging inquiry into Australia's anti-doping framework, which he says has been found wanting.

"It has failed players, for whom clubs have a duty of care," Senator Di Natale said. "It has failed fans, who want to know they're seeing the best skills, not the best pharmacist. And it has failed all those who want to participate in what should be a really healthy, enjoyable, wholesome activity."

In a statement, Ms Ley "acknowledged" the decision and said lessons learnt throughout the process would continue to influence sports policies and governance for many years to come.

"Regardless of the outcome, this case has also highlighted clear community expectations that clubs and their coaching staff do have a moral obligation to care for a player's health and safety," she said.

"Athletes take guidance from those leading them and should be able to trust in the institutions through which they compete."

With Jane Lee

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