Olympian Dawn Fraser says she’s not proud to be Australian as she watches the royal commission into child sexual abuse allegations into the sport for which she is so famous.

“I’ve made mistakes in my life but it was never involving young children,” the former swimming champion told Fairfax Radio Network on Wednesday morning. “Thank goodness this royal commission has taken place,” she said.

The commission is examining how Swimming Australia and the Queensland Academy of Sport dealt with allegations of child sex abuse against Scott Volkers in 2002. The charges were dropped in 2003.

But Fraser, 76, says Mr Volkers should never be able to coach or work with children anywhere in Australia, or the world again.

He is now coaching in Brazil, trying to get a blue card in Queensland, and reportedly trying to bring a young swimmer back to Australia, said Fraser.
Fraser said anyone who abused young people should be called to account.

Mr Volkers – the former coach of Olympian Susie O’Neill – was charged in 2002 amid accusations he sexually abused girls in the 1980s and 1990s.

The former head of Swimming Australia on Wednesday told the commission part of him wanted to bin a job application from Volkers, even as he accepted legal advice he could be hired.

Former Swimming Australia CEO Glenn Tasker on Wednesday was asked how he reacted to Mr Volkers’ application in September 2002 for the role of women’s head coach – six months after the charges were laid.

“Part of me wanted to throw it in the bin,” Mr Tasker said.

“But there was, you know, a panel set up to review the applications and so it was sent to the high-performance committee for processing.”

Mr Tasker said he discussed the allegations with Mr Volkers – who strenuously denied them.

However he did not talk to Mr Volkers’ accusers because he didn’t know he could.

Commission chair Justice Peter McClellen pointed out that a magistrate had ruled there was a prima facie case for Mr Volkers to answer before the Queensland DPP decided to drop the charges.

“Very serious allegations had been made against him; a prima facie case had been found against him, and you chose to accept his denial and nothing more was done,” Justice McClellen said.

“I have to concede that,” Mr Tasker replied.

A 2005 complaint against Mr Volkers by a member of the national swimming team left Mr Tasker feeling horrified, he said.

A Crime and Misconduct commission report that was critical of the handling of Volkers’ case also left Mr Tasker with a “sense of disquiet”.

He told the commission that after restructuring Swimming Australia’s high-performance program after the 2004 Mare Nostrum series, managers were told not to use Mr Volkers in any Swimming Australia activities.

“You must have been significantly concerned about Mr Volkers’ conduct,” council assisting Caroline Spruce asked.

“I would suggest that I was always concerned about his conduct,” Mr Tasker replied.

“By 2005, our high-performance program had been restructured again and he was effectively out of the system.”

In his statement to the commission, Mr Tasker said he didn’t like the former head coach personally.

“I found him arrogant and I just don’t like arrogant people,” Mr Tasker said.