Senate hearing - Wednesday

[Moz]

Classic rear-covering, and perhaps why Senator Reynolds emphasised it was a unanimous report.

Pretty piss-weak from them!

[Sheikh]

Despite the recommendations for ASIC review (which are good), the potentially more wide-ranging recommendations would be:

LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS
...
Recommendation 7

4.38 The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government examine the structure of sporting organisations in Australia with a view to maximising community involvement, and increasing the accountability and transparency of organisations that bear the custodianship of a sport.

Recommendation 8

4.39 The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government undertake a review of world's best practice sporting policies in relation to sports funding and performance measures.

That is, assuming that the government has the stomach to stand up to the various sports administrations, the government could insist on ideas which work in other sports elsewhere in the world:

- requiring percentages of revenue (not just profits) being invested in community/grassroots.
- requiring independent directors to sit on sporting body boards.
- requiring independent reviews of sporting body and individual team accounts.
- requiring leveling of player talents (via, eg, drafts).

Of course, you could also take it the other way, and say that as soccer is the world's biggest sport, and FIFA probably the world's most corrupt organization, sporting organisations should become a free-for-all!

[JSJ]

If people are bored now how about emailing the story & report link to media outlets to see if we can get some media attention for it. Here's a few I found:
news@watoday.com.au.
sport@theaustralian.com.au
australia@theguardian.com
contact@9news.com.au
cos@thecouriermail.com.au
contactus@networkten.com.au
haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

ABC said:

A Senate inquiry has found Australian Rugby Union had already decided to cut the Western Force from the super rugby competition in April, well before it looked into the books of the Force and the Melbourne Rebels.

The Community Affairs References Committee into the future of rugby union in Australia found that the decision to cut the Force was effectively made on April 9, a day before the ARU, now Rugby Australia, met with Rugby WA.

The committee also found the ARU was resistant to changing their decision to axe the Force, despite the efforts of mining magnate Andrew Forrest and the West Australian Government.

In its report, the inquiry made several recommendations, including that the Australian Securities and Investment Commission review financial transactions involving the Melbourne Rebels, as well as investigating the annual reports of the ARU.

more here
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-1...y-team/9153586

[sittingbison]

IOC would run FIFA very close as the most corrupt

Well known rugby news institutions SBS and ABC reporting, but nada from SMH, Australian, Herald, Guardian, Telegraph, Roar, GAGR, rugby.com.au etc

Nothing to see here, move along

[JSJ]

If people are bored now how about emailing the story & report link to media outlets to see if we can get some media attention for it. Here's a few I found:
news@watoday.com.au.
sport@theaustralian.com.au
australia@theguardian.com
contact@9news.com.au
cos@thecouriermail.com.au
contactus@networkten.com.au
haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Even RA have given the Senate Report reasonable mileage; Hope those that can hop on there and comment that Clyne and Eales said it was a waste of tax payers money.
http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/11...rt-handed-down

[Macattack]

The ASIC referrals are obviously meaty recommendations and would be based on substantial confidential evidence indicating serious wrongdoings! Will be an interesting night for lawyers and management at Rat's Arse, the Rebels and Vic Rugby tonight. I hope the referrals do get legs and don't somehow get buried, some of the individuals at risk will no doubt do everything they can to try and bury the issue. Hopefully they will be as successful with this as they were in trying to stop the Inquiry..........unlucky that 😂

The WA government seeking legal advice is also very interesting, the WA Govt already said they were reviewing their legal position on ARU commitments given (many weeks ago) - perhaps the Inquiry has access to evidence that might strengthen the WA Government's case against the ARU - would be nice to see this also bear fruit.

[Bakkies]

Interesting to hear Senator Reynolds say that Rat's Arse tried to depthcharge the inquiry. There are some powerful people in Canberra with past(?) Rugby links. They might not be listed on any "Friends of...." lists. But they are there nonetheless.

Looks like they may have been approached but got told to bugger off.

Like the Patron of the ARU who sits in Yarralumla?

[Macattack]

ASIC fact sheet on enforcement activities can be downloaded from the following

http://download.asic.gov.au/media/13...t_20130916.pdf

Pages 5 and 6 list ASIC's punitive powers which are substantial, including potential imprisonment and large fines.

[blindsid3]

Like the Patron of the ARU who sits in Yarralumla?

Careful...integrity is one thing that man has in spades. To suggest otherwise is fighting words.

[shasta]

No. Definitely not. I already gave you my views on his well demonstrated integrity. Frankly I think that the suggestion you are making is ridiculous.

[UAUdiver1959]

Like the Patron of the ARU who sits in Yarralumla?

Yep, it was Clyne, he rang Malcolm Turnbull direct to try and shut it down. Turnbull said no as was trying to retain his own support within cabinet. Turnbull did tell Linda Reynolds of the approach which pissed her off even more.

[Macattack]

Turnbull did tell Linda Reynolds of the approach which pissed her off even more.

I like Linda 👍👍👍

[Bakkies]

Did anyone see the final additional comments by the Labour Senators?

Looks like they were supporting the ARU and said that the Inquiry should never had gone ahead.

1.1 Labor members of the committee consider it regrettable that the matters covered by this inquiry ever reached this stage.
1.2 We understand that many in the rugby community remain unhappy with the Australian Rugby Union's (ARU) decision regarding the Western Force and that some in the rugby community hold concerns about the processes leading to that decision.
1.3 However, it is unfortunate that these issues have had to be referred to the Senate for inquiry and were not addressed earlier through other means.
1.4 Labor committee members note the evidence provided to the inquiry by ARU Chairman Mr Cameron Clyne and ARU Chief Executive Officer Mr Bill Pulver, which addressed many of the concerns raised about the removal of the Western Force and the processes around that decision. We also consider that Mr Clyne clearly explained in his testimony to the inquiry why the ARU did not consider reinstating the Western Force to be an option, despite promises that were made by third parties.
1.5 Australia's National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) are not immune to challenges and difficult decisions.
1.6 Labor believes NSOs should be supported to deliver strong, viable, successful elite and professional level competitions along with increased opportunities for grassroots participation for all Australians.

Bollocks the lot of it. The Senator who wasted time in de Clyne's hearing asking the Brisbane test was probably in on it

[SinBin]

Even RA have given the Senate Report reasonable mileage; Hope those that can hop on there and comment that Clyne and Eales said it was a waste of tax payers money.
http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/11...rt-handed-down

Hang on, where's the spin..? I'm impressed. (I see old Joe's put his view in though..)

It's a better write up than The West

[Bakkies]

Even RA have given the Senate Report reasonable mileage; Hope those that can hop on there and comment that Clyne and Eales said it was a waste of tax payers money.
http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/11...rt-handed-down

I see that Josephine has already commented