Fairness, free agency and Franklin : the forever complex nature of industrial relations in sport

Free agency was introduced at the end of the 2012 Australian Football League (AFL) competition season after a concerted campaign by the AFL Players' Association. Free agency operates as a highly conditional offset to significant labour market controls exercised by the AFL, controls sanctioned by the collective bargaining agreement. The acceptance of free agency is, however, mixed, a state of affairs exemplified by its recent use by Lance Franklin to change clubs. The response to Franklin's relocation revealed competing and complex discourses, frequently cohering around themes of fairness (to the competition) and equalisation rather than a direct commentary on free agency and players' rights. Yet some commentators continue to identify free agency as an attack on the fabric of the game, and the AFL has utilised the Franklin transfer to shape the terms of a review of free agency scheduled prior to the next collective bargaining agreement. This response suggests that AFL players' rights to less restrictive labour market controls face ongoing challenges.