Senate hearing - Wednesday

[Bakkies]

Just doing some reading up on Senator Watt as he did seem to have knowledge of the game when getting chummy with de Clyne. He was school captain of Brisbane State High School which is a Qld GPS school it appears the McLean family went to that school.

[Kiap]

Brisbane State High School which is a Qld GPS school it appears the McLean family went to that school.

Not all of them. Big family.

[Jules]

The level we got screwed at is hugh!! I take it the giant spreadsheet never materialised!!

[Bakkies]

Not all of them. Big family.

Enough of them to get a QRU connection at least. Paul McLean's cousin Peter went to Brisbane State High.

[travelling_gerry]

Paul McLean went to Nudgee

[fulvio sammut]

The behaviour of the ARU in its dealings with the Rebels and its owners from time to time is much more reminicent of the Liberal party's cosy and crooked association with corrupt and sleazy donors to its fundraising campaign in NSW.

If you were to think things through before opening your gob, BLR, you would acknowledge the findings of the NSW Royal Commission into the Union movement run by the Liberal stooge Haydon in an attempt to bring down Gillard, Shorten, and the Labor party, and orchestrated by Abbot at a cost of $88 million.

Not one adverse finding was able to be made against any of the intended victims of this Kangaroo Court, but indisputable evidence was revealed of corrupt and illegal activity by Liberal donors and Liberal politicians. Ten of them were forced out of Government, although regrettably none have been charged (yet).

If you want to bring politics into this blog, BLR, by all means do so, but expect to be challenged on your bullshit.

[valzc]

Is Clyne at the World Rugby gig? Might be rather embarrassing facing all those delegates this morning with the report coming out.....I hope. Hope Twiggy likes the news!

[Jimmydubs]

Enough of them to get a QRU connection at least. Paul McLean's cousin Peter went to Brisbane State High.

You undermine the hard facts with the random school connection generator and risk missing the mark and detracting from the real issues.

[Bakkies]

Foxsports have just released a news report.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/s...0414d4d9418ba8

[BLR]

If you want to bring politics into this blog, BLR, by all means do so, but expect to be challenged on your bullshit.

Ah come on now, the '' is common internet code for just having a rib.

[Bakkies]

Is Clyne at the World Rugby gig? Might be rather embarrassing facing all those delegates this morning with the report coming out.....I hope. Hope Twiggy likes the news!

Will be curious to see who the arseholes voted for. For those who don't know France won the hosting rights.

[fulvio sammut]

Sorry BLR, I didn't see your your emoticon, it came out in your post as a few dots and a letter p which I didn't pick up on.

You've got to stop posting like you're the front page of the Daily Telegraph or a Liberal Party media release!

[Alison]

Foxsports have just released a news report.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/s...0414d4d9418ba8

They needn’t have bothered!!

[shasta]

Sorry BLR, I didn't see your your emoticon, it came out in your post as a few dots and a letter p which I didn't pick up on.

Noticed you slipped a mention another of the "friends" of a certain RUFC, and one time resies coach in that little off-target rant there Fulvio.

Can't see any of the cabal approaching him to squash any enquiries these days tho. Bout as popular as a fart in a lift.

[shasta]

Senator Linda Reynolds accuses ARU of ‘cowardice’, recommends ASIC investigation in to Rebels sale

Iain Payten, The Daily Telegraph
an hour ago

SENATOR Linda Reynolds accused the Australian Rugby Union of “cowardice” in their handling of the Western Force closure as a Senate committee recommended the Australian Securities and Investment Commission look into the ARU’s sale of the Melbourne Rebels to private owners in 2015.

The recommendation for ASIC to consider evidence around the ARU’s financial transactions with the Rebels was one of eight in a report tabled by a Senate committee, following hearings into “the future of Australian Rugby”.

As with the hearings, the subject matter of the report was largely centred more on the recent past more than the future, and specifically the closure of the Western Force ahead of the Rebels.

Committee chairperson Rachel Siewart said the decision to close the Force had caused “caused hurt and a great deal of stress and anxiety” to the players and fans, and while acknowledging external factors had contributed to the challenging environment in Super Rugby, a number of ARU decisions - including signing up for Super 18 and pumping millions into the Rebels to keep them afloat - made the problems “more acute”.


Andrew Forrest is flanked by Western Force.
Reynolds, a Liberal senator from WA who pushed for the inquiry, said the ARU had been cowardly in not fronting the WA fans to explain their reasons for cutting the Force.

“But 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,” Reynolds said.

In the hearings Reynolds pursued details about the ARU’s sale of the Rebels licence to private owner Andrew Cox in 2015, and the funding arrangements of the transaction. After all parties claimed confidentiality, the committee report suggested ASIC “may wish” to investigate.

“The committee was very concerned by the seemingly generous terms the ARU negotiated to transfer the licence,” the report said.

“The committee was concerned by the evidence it received and considers that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission may wish to examine these transactions.”

The committee also recommended ASIC look at the ARU’s financial statements against evidence presented to the inquiry, specifically whether the ARU’s decision to possibly cut a team should have been included in forecasts.


Force supporters rally at the Force HQ earlier this year.
The ARU had a legal basis to cut the Western Force after signing an Alliance agreement with WA Rugby to save the club from insolvency in 2016. While the committee acknowledged the ARU hadn’t made a decision to cut a team while negotiating that takeover, their failure to mention to WA officials that it was being contemplated as one option in the future “reflects poorly on the ARU”.


Though the ARU is steadfast it only made a final decision to shut down the Force in August - and said it was negotiating to buy the Rebels licence throughout - the committee said in its report it believed the decision was “effectively made” in April when the ARU board determined it would cut one of its five teams. Arguments that the Rebels were the better financial prospect were already being put forward by the ARU, the report said.

“From this point on, whether because of the legal action initiated by RugbyWA or for other reasons, the ARU seems to have been resistant to reinstating the Western Force,” the report stated.


ARU CEO Bill Pulver leaves the Force inquiry.
“While the decision of which team to remove was entirely a decision for the ARU, the committee accepts that it was not one that could be made in a vacuum. Undoubtedly, having to negotiate to acquire the Melbourne Rebels’ licence was a complicating factor. However, the committee considers that the way the ARU went about making the decision exacerbated the existing tensions between the ARU, member unions and rugby’s grassroots supporters.”


The committee also recommended the WA Government seek legal advice about whether the ARU had made assurances in the past regarding taxpayer-funded infrastructure for the Force.

Other recommendations made the Senate committee are for the Western Force IP and trademarks are returned by the ARU to Rugby WA, that the National Sports Commission create a new principle around player welfare and that the ARU consider new measures apart from state bodies to engage with community rugby on significant matters.

A spokesman for Rugby Australia said last night the organisation would review the Senate report thoroughly before responding in detail to the recommendations.