Prendergast, speaking as a representative of the Australian Athletes' Alliance at a Senate inquiry in Canberra into proposed amendments to Australia's anti-doping legislation, criticised what the AAA felt were draconian doping penalties imposed on athletes in team sports.

"If we compare that situation at Essendon to what would happen in another industry – say the construction industry, for example, where construction workers are exposed to asbestos through the lies of their employer – would we be talking about punishing those workers or would we be talking about compensating them?" Prendergast said.

Prendergast claimed that the two-year bans facing the 34 players who were issued with revised show-cause notices from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority were "disproportionately high ... especially given the circumstances they are employed under".

The amendments proposed in the bill seek to bring the ASADA Act in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency's revised code, which comes into effect on January 1, 2015.

The new WADA code increases the penalties for serious doping offences to four years.

AAA general secretary Brendan Schwab argued that the "one-size fits all" WADA rules were not compatible with the way in which professional sports leagues like the AFL, NRL and football competitions operated.

"There is a very different dynamic in professional team sports than exists in sports for individual athletes, and we've seen this, of course, highlighted in the situation at Cronulla and Essendon."

Schwab also emphasised the need for athletes to be able to engage in collective bargaining.

"The bill does not acknowledge or recognise the rights of employers and employees in professional team sports to collectively bargain anti-doping matters as a fundamental disciplinary matter," he said.

"We think it is the right of workers – and the players are workers – to do this within Australia's workplace relations and employment law framework."

However, Australian Olympic Committee boss John Coates suggested that, at least in the case of Olympic sports, "the horse had bolted" and that Australian sporting bodies had to comply with international standards or else risk being barred from competition.

ASADA deputy secretary David Learmonth said that Australian sports would be in a "tough position" if they were not compliant with WADA protocols.

Tony Nolan, QC, of the Bar Association slammed mooted penalties for athletes whose coaches engage in recreational drugs as "too wide and ridiculous, quite frankly".

The hearing also took submissions from representatives of Athletics Australia, the Law Institute of Victoria and the Australian Sports Commission.