McGuire had insisted that he meant the club was proud it had owned up to its past and had commissioned a report to take an unvarnished view of the club.
The two authors pointedly made the same point in their 12-month review.
“The leadership and courage of Collingwood to first commission theDo Better report and to ask the Jumbunna Institute team back one year later to independently review their progress shows commitment to a robust process that must be acknowledged,” the 12-month review report said.
“We were advised at the start of theDo Better report to ‘go our hardest’ by Collingwood and we have continued with this ethos of holding Collingwood to a high and robust standard.”
“It is clear by the work that has been done by the club ... that there is a commitment within Collingwood to ensure thatDo Better isn’t gathering dust on a shelf. There is movement towards a more inclusive culture and an anti-racist framework for Collingwood,though it is important to acknowledge that real cultural and structural change requires continued focus,resourcing and integration.”
The authors also made a veiled reference to inaction at other clubs and at the AFL.
“We would also note that the ambitions of Collingwood in this space will be greatly enhanced by the support of other clubs and by the AFL.”
The authors interviewed nine senior figures from the players’ leadership group,the club leadership and staff.
The report quoted one of the interviewees saying:“The club has shut up for a minute,rolled up its sleeves and actually done some work,which isn’t normally the case at Collingwood.″
Another club person observed the Magpies felt they were being acutely watched by outsiders for the sincerity of their commitment to change.
“Because it’s path-breaking,it can’t be done quickly,” the interviewee said.
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“Yet,there’s a nervousness that we need to get on with it,so that we can test it and try it and make the mistakes — but I feel like there’s a gallery sitting behind us going:oh,yeah,let’s see how Collingwood’s going to go with this.”
Collingwood had also initiated work on the recommendation to set up a truth-telling process for former staff and players to relay their experiences of racism with the club and established whistleblower policies.
The authors acknowledged the truth-telling process was not intended to be part of a staged plan towards reaching financial settlements.
The review said stakeholders had recommended other employment changes include “minimising nepotism” and a minimum five per cent Indigenous workforce across the club.