After Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2017 uncovered serious instances of cover-ups of sexual abuse in Australian sport, the Government devised a national redress scheme offering payments to victims.

But Gymnastics Australia has not yet joined the thousands of institutions to have signed up to the scheme.

Now a petition calling upon them to do so has been organised by recently-formed pressure group Athlete Rights Australia (ARA).

"Many organisations with far fewer children in their sport have signed on," Alison Quigley, a former gymnast who is a director and co-founder of ARA, told insidethegames.

Quigley, who is also an applicant for redress and is now a doctoral candidate in law, studying child safe policies in Australian gymnastics, added: "It baffles me why Gymnastics Australia, although making a generalised apology for the abuse that occurred on its watch in the last five decades, did not follow through with tangible measures like redress.

"We need answers.

"It’s effectively had four years to sign on.

"It has claimed to lead the way on child safety.

"And yet it cannot fulfil a basic mandate like this.

"It’s an insult to the survivor community."

The petition is restricted to Australian residents and citizens but the ARA wants to bring international focus to bear upon the situation.

Meanwhile, political pathways are also being investigated.

"A parliamentary petition is tabled in parliament and has the potential to be raised as an issue for our political parties to debate," Quigley said.

"If delays continue, the Government can withdraw funding to the organisation, amounting to several million dollars.

"For two years now Gymnastics Australia has been saying it is on-boarding with the redress scheme.

"How could it take this long to act?"

Meanwhile Hetty Johnson, one of Australia's leading child safety advocates, is reported to have said the GA position is "unacceptable".

insidethegames has contacted Gymnastics Australia for a comment.