Thanks for coming today.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge that this is a really distressing day for the people who have shared their experiences.

What we have seen today is a challenging, harrowing, and disturbing read and I acknowledge the hurt, the anger and the grief of the people who have shared their experiences and told their stories and all those impacted.

I want to say to the women and the partners and to the players who have shared their stories that our first priority is to you and to provide the care and support you need.

You have been heard and as a sport and a community we will do our best to wrap our arms around you and support. And it is important that we continue to communicate with you and to you.

Your welfare is the most pressing priority for us because I know that sharing these stories is not easy, but it is important that you do and I want to thank all who have shared their experiences as part of this review.

We have received the report from the Hawthorn Football Club and I want to outline what is happening to fully investigate the experiences that have been shared

These are serious allegations, and it is important that we treat them appropriately while also ensuring the formal process provides support to those impacted and also natural justice to those people who are accused.

This is a process that is appropriate that is held independent of the normal AFL Integrity Department response.

As such we are appointing an external independent panel that will be made up of four people, led by an eminent King’s Counsel.

The independent panel – which we will finalise over the next 24 hours – will be appropriately skills-based with two men, two women.

We know It is also critical that the panel approaches this work prioritising cultural safety for all those who have shared their experiences so half the panel will absolutely include experts who are from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We need to run a proper investigation to get to the bottom of it - this is important - Out of respect for those making the allegations and out of respect for those being accused.

We need to provide natural justice and allow that process to go on but we will seek to have that panel in place as quickly as possible and work with the Hawthorn Football Club, the consultant who prepared the report and the players and their partners involved to engage with them to expedite it – and not extend the trauma.

As a game, we have taken steps in recent times to add resource to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players in our game with Indigenous Player Development Managers at each club, an extension of ensuring we continue to build the game’s capability in relation to cultural safety and cultural inclusion.

I have met regularly with a senior cohort of male Indigenous players over the past 18 months and recently initiated our first meeting with indigenous AFLW players that will also be held several times a year.

But we need to do more. And we will. We need greater safety and education across our game. And we will do that. Tanya Hosch our EGM of Inclusion and Social Policy and her team will continue to lead that part if the work.

There are so many people who are hurting today and have been hurting for a long time and to all of them I want to acknowledge that hurt and say that as a game we will do everything to ensure that the hurt you experienced is not a hurt that is experienced by others.