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Seeing as how the Eastern States newspapers are completely avoiding any coverage on the Senate inquiry, I was wondering how much it would cost to book a full page ad in The Australian for example, with some fine commentary and headlining, and REALLY GET THE NEWS OUT THERE!
Wayne Smith is the only journo really covering. Payto and Panda don't want to give their keys to the inner sanctum, the Reds are giving the Courier Mail enough material for their limited space provided to Rugby and Fairfax have sacked off most of their employees (Georgina Robinson is on maternity leave).
Spiro has retired from Fairfax it appears he has been gagged by the RA.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Very good article in The West by Nick Taylor
Pressure on ASIC to investigate Rugby Australia’s Melbourne Rebels dealings
Nick Taylor
Tuesday, 5 December 2017 9:48PM
Rugby Australia chief executive Bill Pulver.
Rugby Australia chief executive Bill Pulver.Picture: Nic Ellis
Pressure has stepped up on the Australian Securities and Investment Commission to investigate Rugby Australia’s controversial dealings with the Melbourne Rebels ahead of axing the Western Force from Super Rugby.
A senate inquiry into the future of the sport made initial recommendations for the powerful corporate watchdog to investigate when their report was handed down last month.
WA Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, who relentlessly pursued details about RA’s sale of the Rebels to private owner Andrew Cox in 2015 and subsequent transfer to the Victorian Rugby Union earlier this year, has added further weight to the call.
“Recently published media articles have included information that appears to contradict the evidence provided to the committee,” she said.
“I believe an ASIC investigation into the matters raised in the senate inquiry report and now the additional media reports is the only way to get answers for Western Australians on the circumstances that led to the culling of the Western Force.”
The move comes after it was revealed RA was brokering a deal to save the Rebels two months before the decision to axe the Force was announced and helped orchestrate the sale of the club to the Victorian Rugby Union
A confidential email from RA chief executive Bill Pulver, obtained by Seven West Media, showed he was discussing the deal to transfer the Rebels licence from businessman Andrew Cox to the VRU in June.
Pulver denied any involvement in the subsequent transfer of the Rebels licence.
“I was not involved in any way with the transfer of licence back to VRU. I was taken by surprise when it happened. I am not sure what email you are referring to,” he said.
Further evidence emerged that RA helped orchestrate the sale of the Rebels to the VRU in an email, also obtained by Seven West Media, that was sent from RA’s former legal counsel Richard Hawkins to VRU chairman Tim North.
The email was sent on July 11, less than a month before RA closed the Force, and was also addressed to Pulver and head of professional rugby Anthony French.
Hawkins said a Deed of Amendment was needed for the put option for transferring ownership of the Rebels to the VRU because it “doesn’t quite work for what we are all contemplating here”.
Cox used the put option and sold 11,625,000 Rebels shares to the VRU for $1 on August 4 - less than a month after the email was sent.
Reynolds is also asking ASIC to look at a claim that a deal from rival syndicate BidCo, led by former Rebels foundation investor Alan Winney, could have saved RA millions of dollars.
She has also queried what bid details were given to the RA board and whether it was fully briefed on mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s offer to pump $50 million into the sport if RA would save the Force.
“My concern is over contradictory evidence and that the RA board may not have been fully aware of the negotiations surrounding the sale of the licence to and from Imperium and the BidCo bid,” she said.
“I find it just as implausible that the board has been fully briefed on all of their negotiations.
“I find it impossible to believe that the board knew the full details of the $50 million offer from Andrew Forrest.”
Reynolds launched a blistering attack on RA in the senate when the inquiry report was handed down and said: “Not only did their cowardice indicate their unwillingness to account for their actions, this inquiry demonstrated to me just why they were so keen for it not to proceed.
“Even before the inquiry had commenced hearing evidence, it was clear ARU representatives were resentful and contemptuous, even dismissive of this Senate inquiry. I believe there were also inappropriate and misdirected attempts by ARU officials to stop this inquiry.”
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Oliver Peterson spoke to linda Reynolds today on 6pr. She has blasted the ARU and said ASIC has been handed the extra details passéd on to Linda. Was on around 4.10 today. Ollie also had a dig at some eastern states media who have gone quiet on the issue.
Its a really great follow up article, well done Nick Taylor....time for another email? Can't wait till Sunday........that's the current modus operandi I assume. The ARU are definitely trying to kill off Twiggy....how could he run a competition with all of those caveats? Lets build up Rugby in WA. Lets get a strong local competition...pay the players, build the high performance centre, keep the Force Foundation going.
BUT please....no more money goes EAST.
To have high performance funding and development you need to have somewhere to play professionally. Twiggy and co should contact SARU to see if the Force can enter the Super Sport Rugby Challenge which runs during Super Rugby even if the team is based in SA during the tournament. Argentina did the same with the Pampas who played in the Vodacom Cup and a lot of those players ended up playing for the Pumas (Imhoff, etc). I think the Pampas based themselves at a university.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Not at the moment. His sports segment with Brad Hardie only went up 19 mins ago
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
The latest stuff on these websites are from 4 days ago
https://player.fm/series/perth-live-...liver-peterson
https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/...231321599?mt=2
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Japan and the Pacific Islands for Aussie Super 9's!
Let's have one of these in WA! Click this link: Saitama Super Arena - New Perth Stadium?
New evidence in Melbourne Rebels sale scandal
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Rugby Australia chief Bill Pulver’s role in Western Forces' downfall is being explored
The Australian12:00AM December 6, 2017
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WAYNE SMITH
Senior sport writerBrisbane
@WayneKeithSmith
Senator Linda Reynolds has written to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission asking it to review new evidence of potential wrongdoing by Rugby Australia that has come to light since a Senate inquiry completed its investigation last month.
Emails have come to light which indicate that Rugby Australia — the Australian Rugby Union in an earlier life — helped orchestrate the sale of the Melbourne Rebels to the Victorian Rugby Union at a time when publicly it was saying that the Rebels could still be chopped from Super Rugby.
The email, from RA former legal counsel Richard Hawkins to VRU chairman Tim North and also addressed to RA chief executive Bill Pulver and head of professional rugby Anthony French, certainly casts doubt on testimony given to the inquiry that the Rebels were as much on the endangered list as the Western Force. The email was sent on July 11, less than a month before the Force were terminated.
“I’m not asking for a new inquiry,” Reynolds said. “But in my letter to ASIC today what I am asking them to do is, in their consideration of the committee’s recommendations, that they also consider this additional information which has come to light.
“My understanding is that ASIC are currently reviewing matters that we have referred to them but it is a separate organisation. Ultimately ASIC will make their own determination but there has clearly been some very poor stewardship and there have been some very questionable decisions made by the board. With some of this new information that’s come to light, there are even more questions to be answered.”
But there are also some concerns arising from evidence presented to the Senate inquiry, with Reynolds keen to know if the then ARU board knew the details of what the Bidco consortium of Alan Winney was offering for the Rebels in May 2014, and whether the board ever weighed up the Winney bid against the rival offer of the Imperium group. Certainly the Bidco offer appeared superior but the ARU did the deal with Imperium.
“The second thing is in relation to the put option … they (ARU officials) said they were surprised by the put option, but the information that has been released shows Mr Pulver knew all about it and in fact was discussing it in detail with Imperium.”
For the Rebels to be transferred from Andrew Cox’s Imperium group to the VRU, the club had to be debt-free and it is understood ASIC will investigate what role — if any — the ARU played in making the sale possible.
RA and its officials have denied any wrongdoing but ASIC will be checking to see whether it has broken the Corporations Act or whether the directors have failed in their fiduciary duties.
Meanwhile, former Queensland Reds assistant coach Jason Gilmore has been appointed coach of the Junior Wallabies, taking over from Simon Cron. Gilmore will continue to coach the Reds’ elite youth squad while working with the Junior Wallabies.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Doesn`t actually say it but the story is about the stories in the Sunday Times and West but who cares at least it`s getting out there.
What I keep thinking about is Tim North's apparent advice to the ARU and access to confidential information about the Western Force. I would have thought this was a conflict of interest? Tim North should have been above that.