In a historic move, Cricket Australia appoint first-ever independent Ethics Commissioner

In a first, Cricket Australia(CA) has appointed Dr. Simon Longstaff as an Independent Ethics Commissioner. His job will be to advise the national cricketing body on ethical matters that might arise, 'including but not limited to administration, governance, transparency, and on or off-field behavior.'

Dr. Longstaff was appointed the first Executive Director of The Ethics Centre in 1991 and has previously provided his advice on ethics to professional organizations. He was awarded the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to the community through the promotion of ethical standards in governance and business, to improving corporate responsibility, and to philosophy," in 2013.

Longstaff is not new to the role as he led the independent organizational review into Australian cricket in 2018 as executive director of the Ethics Centre. His review was pivotal for cricket in the country as the CA actioned the majority of his recommendations in the report.

The Ethics Commissioner role will work hand in hand with the CA Board, State and Territory Associations, and the Australian Cricketers’ Association. Dr. Lachlan Henderson, chairman of the board of directors, stated the reasoning behind Longstaff's appointment in an official statement, which read,

“The creation of the role of CA Ethics Commissioner, and Dr. Longstaff’s appointment, are significant steps for Australian cricket. Not only have we embraced the key recommendations of The Ethics Centre Review, but this initiative will also help to ensure the best process to review ethical issues in cricket that might arise in the future," he added. 

“The CA Board and our State and Territory colleagues are committed to improving governance structures in cricket and the Ethics Commissioner will provide a vital reference point for issues that impact CA and the game more broadly. Having led the 2018 review, Dr Longstaff has a detailed understanding of the challenges the game has faced and the progress that has been made in recent times. We look forward to working with him for the betterment of cricket.”

Notably, Australian cricket was in disarray after the massive ethical crisis in 2018 following the alleged involvement of three of its players, including the-then Test skipper Steve Smith, his then deputy David Warner and Cameron Bancroft in a ball-tampering scandal during the Test series in South Africa.