The revelation last week of what Netball Australia called a "ground-breaking" partnership with the mining company reportedly worth AUS$15 million (£8.4 million/$9.5 million/€9.6 million) to the sport prompted a strong negative reaction from players, foxsports.com.au reports.

They insisted they had not been consulted and objected to wearing the company’s branding in their ongoing annual Constellation Cup series against New Zealand.

Netball Australia - which has parted company with its chair and main commercial negotiator Marina Go in the wake of the controversy - has addressed some of the reported issues involving the company which is owned by Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart.

It is understood some players have concerns about accepting sponsorship from a company which has, historically, been in conflict with Indigenous inhabitants over the question of land rights.

Those concerns have been heightened by the fact that there is now an Indigenous player, Donnell Wallam, in the squad.

Rinehart’s father was Lang Hancock, who became one of the richest men in Australia after establishing the company which, in 1952, discovered the world’s largest iron ore deposit.

He championed mining’s importance and rights to take place anywhere, adding: "So the question of Aboriginal land rights and things of this nature shouldn’t exist."

In a 1984 television interview, Hancock suggested forcing unemployed Indigenous Australians - specifically "the ones that are no good to themselves and who can't accept things, the half-castes" - to collect their welfare cheques from a central location, adding:

"And when they had gravitated there, I would dope the water up so that they were sterile and would breed themselves out in the future, and that would solve the problem."

Fox Sports reported that former Australian captain Sharni Norder had addressed the playing group ahead of last Sunday’s Constellation Cup match, in which the new sponsorship branding was not worn.

Norder, a Sports Environment Alliance ambassador, said: "This is a company that doesn’t suit Netball Australia’s values.

"We’ve always stood up for social justice, we’ve always been anti-gambling, no smoking … and there were, and are, other avenues to source sponsorship.

"Lang Hancock’s past and what he said in regard to Indigenous people is just not suitable for Australian sport.

"Netball Australia has always tried to be inclusive … we now have Donnell in the team.

"This is not a respectful way to act and even if Donnell wasn’t in the team, we must do better.

"I did a zoom with the players just to educate them on doing right by the sport but also doing right by yourself and honouring your own values.

"I just wanted to have a conversation is that money worth your reputation and what you stand for as a person?"

Netball Australia has been in deep financial trouble having recorded losses of more than AUS$7 million (£3.9 million/$4.4 million/€4.5 million) over the past two years, and this deal has been described as a "life-saver."

The governing body’s new chair, Wendy Archer, has declared the sport has reinforced its ties with the mining giant.

Netball Australia said in a statement: "Since becoming aware of cultural sensitivities raised by a Diamonds squad member in respect of the Hancock sponsorship uniform logo placement, Netball Australia and Hancock Prospecting have been working tirelessly to acknowledge and recognise the sensitivities, to further understand the concerns of that squad member and to provide avenues for support.

"Mrs Archer said the players had been supportive throughout this process and refuted claims that the Diamonds had engaged in any form of boycott or refused to wear uniforms with the Hancock Prospecting logo during the recent games in New Zealand.

"Mrs Archer also refuted claims of a lack of consultation with ANPA (Australian Netball Players Association) over the commercial partnership.

"She said that ANPA was advised in July of an impending mining partnership.

"Netball Australia acknowledges the identity of Hancock Prospecting was not shared due to commercial sensitivity following ANPA's unanimous support of a private equity takeover bid for the Suncorp Super Netball competition."

A statement from Hancock Prospecting said: "In keeping with tradition, our new partnership with Netball Australia is athlete focussed. 

"Assuming Netball Australia can reach agreement with relevant parties, AUS$3.5 million (£1.95 million/$2.2 million/€2.25 million) each year for four years can be directed to the Diamonds High Performance Program.

"Hancock Prospecting understands this sponsorship would help Netball Australia to have certainty around the Diamonds Program moving forward after a period of very real financial distress.

"We are aware that there has been some recent enquiries raised regarding Hancock’s relationships with traditional owners.

"Hancock has positive agreements with all the native title holders in the areas we operate in, providing very significant royalty payments to the traditional owners in all our mining areas, well in excess of AUS$300 million (£168 million/$190 million/€192.5 million) in the last seven years alone."

Australia, the Commonwealth champions, are due to take on New Zealand in the Constellations Cup in the third of the four scheduled matches at John Cain Arena in Melbourne tomorrow (October 19) having lost the first two to the Silver Ferns in New Zealand.