Speedway Australia 287 Payneham Road, Royston Park SA 5070 PO Box 269 Stepney SA 5069 PH 08 8139 0777 FAX 08 8363 7977 ABN 27 080 193 942 16 February 2015 RE: MISCONDUCT (Social Media) To all Speedway Australia licence Holders: Speedway Australia wishes to remind all competitors and officials of their obligation when it comes to social media and the use of such a communication tool to voice opinions or information through. There is currently far too many cases of licence holders breaching this policy and then being suspended of fined for their actions at it brings the sport into disrepute. Many teams, tracks and series work very hard to get officials and corporate partners to help the sport and drivers careers continue, and with an off the cuff statement through social media is presented for all to see this hard work can be unravelled immediately. For the best interests of the sport and the hard work a lot of volunteers and race teams put in to compete, we just ask that you keep your opinions private and refrain from social interaction. This along with the personal affects it can impose on people who are being attacked means we do not apologise for taking action against this kind of behaviour. Speedway Australia encourages participation in online social media in a positive manner. The accessible nature of the internet however, allows people to the posting of threatening and derogatory material. Once your thoughts and comments are published to the internet they are visible to the world - and they are permanent. Speedway Australia takes all cases of threatening and derogatory behaviour towards any individual or the sport seriously and will treat online matters as it would ‘real world’ bullying. Breaching the Code of Conduct or bringing the sport of Speedway into disrepute online can lead to serious consequences, including tribunals, suspensions and the cancellation of the offender’s Speedway Australia licence. If you hold a Speedway Australia licence, you are bound by the Speedway Australia Racing Rules and regulations. Rule 7.6.1 (a) explains a definition of Misconduct as follows: A Licence Holder must not engage in misconduct or behavior which is prejudicial to the interest of the sport of speedway. Misconduct for the purposes of this rule is defined as any action or behavior which in the absolute discretion of Speedway Australia would, or would likely, bring the Licence Holder, the sport of speedway racing, Speedway Australia or an Affiliated Association into disrepute. This includes: making a detrimental, offensive, discriminatory or false public statement in any media (including social media) about the Chief Steward, a Participant, another Licence Holder, Speedway Australia, or an Affiliated Associations and their sponsors, employees or officeholders. It is also important to note than many Speedway Clubs/divisions and tracks around the country have their own Social media policy and you also can fall under that jurisdiction as well. Thanks for your understanding and let’s continue moving forward to make our sport a pleasant and inviting proposition for all for the future. Regards, Shane Collins Operations Manager