Judo Australia today announced the introduction of a Public Sanctions Register, to be published on the Judo Australia website from August 5th 2026 as part of the organisation’s ongoing commitment to integrity, transparency, accountability and participant safety across the Australian judo community.
The register has been established in accordance with Clause 8.9(b) of the Judo Australia Complaints, Disputes and Discipline Policy (CDDP). It will provide a single national source for verifying whether an adult member is currently subject to a disciplinary sanction that affects their eligibility to participate in judo activities.
The register will publish sanctions that materially affect participation or membership status, including suspensions, expulsions and de-registrations. Lower-level outcomes such as cautions, education directives and suspended sanctions will not be published, although they will continue to be recorded internally in line with policy requirements.
Judo Australia General Manager, Gareth Watkins said the initiative would strengthen consistency across the national sporting system.
“Members, clubs and event organisers should be able to rely on a single, authoritative source to determine whether a current disciplinary sanction is in effect. This promotes transparency, accountability and confidence in Judo Australia’s integrity processes while balancing privacy and procedural fairness.”
The register has been developed using three guiding principles:
- Reasonableness – publishing only sanctions that affect membership status or eligibility;
- Proportionality – excluding minor or corrective outcomes from public view; and
- Policy alignment and capability building – ensuring consistency with the CDDP and safeguarding obligations while supporting education, development and the Judo Moral Code.
To protect privacy and ensure procedural fairness, Judo Australia has adopted several safeguards:
- individuals under 18 years of age will not be identified;
- only sanctions currently in force will be published;
- entries will be removed when sanctions expire;
- affected individuals will be notified before publication and given an opportunity to make submissions; and
- publication may be withheld where safety, welfare, mental health or other exceptional considerations apply.
The register will not include historical sanctions, ensuring that decisions made prior to its introduction are not retroactively published.
The initiative is particularly important within Judo Australia’s federated structure, assisting state and territory associations, clubs and event organisers to recognise and apply disciplinary decisions consistently across all levels of the sport.
The Public Sanctions Register will be go live on the Judo Australia website from 5th August 2026 and will be updated as required while sanctions remain in force. Currently under construction, it will be housed at https://www.ausjudo.com.au/public-sanctions-register/
