Terms of Reference for a Senate Inquiry into the Future of Rugby Union in Australia

[UAUdiver1959]

We need two outcomes ASAP from the Senate inquiry
I'm hoping the ARU have a document or the Senators have an ARU document (provided by others) that clearly has Rod Clark presenting a report before the Alliance agreement in 2016 that the ARU needs to own a team to cull a team whereby the contractual dealings with RubgyWA constitute deceptive and misleading conduct. Such a finding would require the ARU to reinstate the Force and return all players and coaches.

The second and the sweeter finding would be the less than transparent ARU dealings with the MRRU and Andrew Cox/Gary Grey/Rod Clark. The potential findings against the MRRU and ARU are absolute board and club killers. I am sure when we are dealing with multi-million dollar Federal grants, the ACCC and FEDPOL would get involved to some degree, the ASIC and ATO would fall in line with the follow on findings.

It ain't over......its just a pity the print media are looking sideways.

[GIGS20]

Willy said even if the Rebels sank the Force would not come back

They have to have 4 teams, SANZAaR demands it.

If the Rebels/VRU directors are banned from sitting on a board and the company is dissolved as a result of ASIC/ACCC/FedPol actions they have to put a franchise somewhere.

Perhaps they could go for Parramatta, but in the light of the likely findings of the inquiry it would be a brave national sporting body who would wave bye-bye to all federal funding for the conceivable future!

I think one of the recommendations would be to make all federal funding conditional upon meeting specified governance and decision making targets. If the ARU are so broke that they can't afford to run a team in Perth, surely they can't afford to lose all their government funding, not to mention the potential loss of major sponsors who might not like being linked to fraud.

[GIGS20]

We need two outcomes ASAP from the Senate inquiry
I'm hoping the ARU have a document or the Senators have an ARU document (provided by others) that clearly has Rod Clark presenting a report before the Alliance agreement in 2016 that the ARU needs to own a team to cull a team whereby the contractual dealings with RubgyWA constitute deceptive and misleading conduct. Such a finding would require the ARU to reinstate the Force and return all players and coaches.

The second and the sweeter finding would be the less than transparent ARU dealings with the MRRU and Andrew Cox/Gary Grey/Rod Clark. The potential findings against the MRRU and ARU are absolute board and club killers. I am sure when we are dealing with multi-million dollar Federal grants, the ACCC and FEDPOL would get involved to some degree, the ASIC and ATO would fall in line with the follow on findings.

It ain't over......its just a pity the print media are looking sideways.

Point 1 & 2 are wrapped up in a single recommendation that (IMHO) is almost guaranteed at this moment. That being "The committee recommends that all evidence collected be forwarded to the relevant authorities as basis for investigations into criminal misconduct"

The other recommendation that is highly likely would be

"The committee recommends that all federal funding to be directed towards the Australian Rugby Union be suspended until the following governance reforms are completed and proven to the satisfaction of ......"

I'm sure you can come up with more

[UAUdiver1959]

I agree GIGS, the 'Senate' recommendations will be pretty damning. Yes, to receive Federal funding their must be a True national footprint and all franchises must receive equal funding and equal treatment. The 2018 Federal Funding is suspended until the ARU can demonstrate this.

The ARU and governing management system must be made up equally from all states and franchises without the obvious lop sided vote allocations currently held by NSW and Qld.

Investigations into the MRRU/VRU/ARU financial dealings from inceptions.

[wallabydarnd]

But how long would this take with QC being involved and all

[Jules]

I'd love any of the above things to happen but the fact so little has been made in the media about it worries me. I just hope enough comes out of the senate inquiry to get something done..

[Markos2012]

I would welcome all those things as well though I think few will be delivered, despite the evidence. I just hope we get enough to stop the ARU meddling in the IPRC. That would be a great boost for the competition.

[BLR]

I'd love any of the above things to happen but the fact so little has been made in the media about it worries me. I just hope enough comes out of the senate inquiry to get something done..

Look at it this way, the media had a whole bunch of scoops but what exactly did it come to? The original course of cutting the Force.

The fact the media know bugger all perhaps means that potentially this is going against the ARU's script.

[GIGS20]

The fact the media know bugger all perhaps means that potentially this is going against the ARU's script.

Almost certainly given the way the ARU are in control of the media who actually write about it.

Furthermore, It probably also means they don't really have any answers to refute what's coming out, they're just hoping that if they remain quiet enough that the whole story won't come out.

Interesting that the ARU hasn't responded to Mayor Welborn's comments about the ARU giving Twiggy a recipe and refusing to accept when he offered to cook it for them.

[chibi]

Also curious to know how closely the World Rugby (iRB) is following this

[BLR]

Also curious to know how closely the World Rugby (iRB) is following this

Well considering the ARU are the entity they have given charge of rugby in Australia you would hope if their representatives are widely despised Australia wide, going through legal proceedings, potential government sanctions that, World Rugby will sit up and tell them to sort it out. FIFA did it with Football Australia I believe?

Guilt by association/silence if they do nothing right?

[lou]

Don't forget Hansie that they were given a copy of RWA's April 2017 writ as well! I'd be asking Lavan how appropriate that is! The parties to the legal action were the ARU and RWA; absolutely NO business of North's or the Rebels or the VRU.

I would want to know what the purpose of the meeting was, and what relevance teh RWA writ had to any meeting between the ARU and the VRU.

Also, it seems that these captains of industry can't remember who physically handed the AA over to Tim North, but does it matter- the ARU brought it to the meeting - and any one of them present could have said "Oy boys, this is not appropriate to share with the VRU " - instead, they stood around looking at a pile of papers on a table until Tim North got his assistant to photocopy them.

[sittingbison]

It's the assistants fault

[UAUdiver1959]

I would want to know what the purpose of the meeting was, and what relevance teh RWA writ had to any meeting between the ARU and the VRU.

What an absolutely ball tearer of a question!!! So obvious I would hope anyone who knows Senator Reynolds would pass on this question. In life....some times its the simple things.

[jackster]

I hate to state the obvious, but they brought the documents with them, so there was some anticipation that they would be referred to in the meeting, right?
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and while I'm here, what is the thinking behind the change of venue? ARU goons too scared to come back to Perth or does it suit the Senators?
its probably both