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

[SPaRTAN]

The West are giving the senate inquiry some much needed attention!
Thanks to Nick Taylor

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Inquiry to probe Australian Rugby Union money trail to Melbourne Rebels before Western Force axing

Nick Taylor
Tuesday, 10 October 2017 12:30PM
The Force were cut ahead of the Rebels by the ARU.
The Force were cut ahead of the Rebels by the ARU.Picture: Nic Ellis/The West Australian

The senate inquiry that has thrown the spotlight on the Australian Rugby Union’s axing of Western Force will push for further transparency on the decision to cut the Super Rugby club when it re-opens in Perth tomorrow.
The inquiry is likely to focus on the money trail that led to millions of dollars being handed to the Melbourne Rebels by the ARU after it was bought for $1 by New Zealand businessman Andrew Cox.

The Force were cut ahead of the Rebels by the ARU.
The inquiry is also likely to again ask what due diligence was carried out on Cox’s bid and another by a syndicate called BidCo, led by former Rebels foundation investor Alan Winney, who was prepared to absorb losses for the club from 2015.
Thousands of Western Force fans rallied yesterday at Rugby WA's headquarters

0:39 | 7-News-Perth
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Thousands of Western Force fans rallied yesterday at Rugby WA's headquarters

Talks broke down with Winney because the ARU wanted $2.25 million in advance Rebels memberships.
ARU chief executive Bill Pulver wrote to Winney in July 2014 saying: “ARU purchased the Rebels marks/intellectual property for $1.3m and cannot agree to them being sold back to the Rebels for $1.”

A year later the ARU sold the Rebels to Cox for $1.
As part of the agreement with Cox the Rebels were to receive payments from 2016 for five years of almost $6 million, allegedly with no obligation from him to inject fresh capital.

The payments began in 2016 with two payments of $1.7 million and $900,000 followed this year by two payments totalling $1.55 million. The payments were on top of those made to all clubs under the new broadcast agreement. It is understood the payments were not tied to performance.

Andrew Cox.
Andrew Cox.Picture: Getty Images

Despite the payments the Rebels ran into financial trouble and documents show large sums were charged in areas like consultant and legal fees and management costs.
The senate inquiry has already heard the ARU funded the Rebels for $33m – including a $13 million write-off – between 2014 and 2016.

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Pulver cited confidentiality when he was grilled by Liberal senator Linda Richards about potential buyers for the rebels on the opening day of the senate hearing last month She said the matter would be investigated further when the inquiry re-opened.

Former ARU chief operating officer Rob Clarke, one-time chief executive of both the Brumbies and Rebels and president of the Victorian Rugby Union Tim North will be questioned by the committee.

Another former Rebels chief executive Peter Leahy, WA sports minister Mick Murray and Rugby Union Players Association chief executive Ross Xenos will also appear.

Former Force foundation player and Wallaby forward John Welborn, who now acts as mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s rugby adviser for the planned Indo Pacific Rugby Championship, will also make a submission.

Meanwhile an ARU spokesman said there was no comment on whether the governing body had signed a multi-million dollar deal with the Victorian Government that had been central to discussions during the plan to axe Western Force.

There was also no comment when asked whether the ARU was confident the Rebels will be financially sound and their future guaranteed without further ARU funding over the normal grants to Super Rugby clubs.
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[GIGS20]

Check out the submission from Dr David Masters. Very professional.
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_...on/Submissions
Tick the box next his name.

I assume this is him;
Dr David Masters
PRINCIPAL PROJECT SCIENTIST

After 25 years in CSIRO as a specialist agricultural scientist working in Australia and overseas, David turned his acquired skills to the planning, implementation and interpretation of water quality monitoring with MScience.

Over the last 7 years in that role, he has completed projects for major dredging works, outfalls around LNG plants and industrial areas and in compiling large datasets for baselines.

OMG, you have to read some of this submission. I'm only about a pag and a half in and it's freaking gold!

Conclusive, empirically backed and reasonable in its assessment, this has destroyed the obfuscated arguments utterly!

[Bakkies]

Check out the submission from Dr David Masters. Very professional.
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_...on/Submissions
Tick the box next his name.

I assume this is him;
Dr David Masters
PRINCIPAL PROJECT SCIENTIST

After 25 years in CSIRO as a specialist agricultural scientist working in Australia and overseas, David turned his acquired skills to the planning, implementation and interpretation of water quality monitoring with MScience.

Over the last 7 years in that role, he has completed projects for major dredging works, outfalls around LNG plants and industrial areas and in compiling large datasets for baselines.

Just read it. Very good.

How many people in their submissions which obviously have been publicised on the website asked the Senate Committee to conduct a root and branch review in to the Rebels organisation since day one?

[valzc]

....."There was also no comment when asked whether the ARU was confident the Rebels will be financially sound and their future guaranteed without further ARU funding over the normal grants to Super Rugby clubs......"

Exactly - there has been absolutely NO mention on how the Rebels can survive the season let alone try and take over the Force. No deals with the Vic Gov have been signed off, no sign of the so called financial supporters that were going to be fronting up. How the hell do they expect to get away with it!!?

[GIGS20]

....."There was also no comment when asked whether the ARU was confident the Rebels will be financially sound and their future guaranteed without further ARU funding over the normal grants to Super Rugby clubs......"

Exactly - there has been absolutely NO mention on how the Rebels can survive the season let alone try and take over the Force. No deals with the Vic Gov have been signed off, no sign of the so called financial supporters that were going to be fronting up. How the hell do they expect to get away with it!!?

Their scoresheet carries the assumption that the remaining teams will be financially sustainable once the Force is crucified.

As a matter of fact, that single assumption is the key reason the numbers look good, because they've happily ignored the likelihood of greater than $6 Million dollars a year being needed to maintain a heartbeat in the remaining 4.

[shasta]

Check out the submission from Dr David Masters. Very professional.

Very professional is the correct term for sure. It makes the current ARU's operations look like something cooked up by Colonel Klink and Sgt Shultz. The analysis of the "Massive SpreadCard", it's misleading, inaccurate information illogical conclusions laid bare.

Now (hopefully); for tomorrow's expose’ of the treachery involved in handing a copy of the ARU/RugbyWA alliance agreement to the VRU.

[SinBin]

... Now (hopefully); for tomorrow's expose’ of the treachery involved in handing a copy of the ARU/RugbyWA alliance agreement to the VRU.

Well who ever leads on "interrogating" Tim North will need to be on the ball

[Bakkies]

Well who ever leads on "interrogating" Tim North will need to be on the ball

Hopefully it is Reynolds. The lady that started off last time was sloppy but got a lot better. At least the WA Government is up first and will be up front like Rugby WA were

[shasta]

Well who ever leads on "interrogating" Tim North will need to be on the ball

Maybe. But at least two of the questions are pretty simple for both he and Clarke? Who gave you a copy of the Alliance Agreement? On what date did they give it to you?

[SPaRTAN]

Its a good submission. But how come I can only see two public submissions? Is that all there was? Or are they the only two which will be used as the others probably touch on what the two submitted touch on so they have those current two as the only submissions?

I think those two submissions alone could use up most of the senate inquiry time.

Will be a disgrace if Clyne doesn't show. In fact he should take Twiggys advice and just resign. The ARU are toxic to rugby in this country.

[Bakkies]

I see Rob Clarke's perspective mug shot is up on the ARU website http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/10...nda-october-11

[Alison]

Just read it. Very good.

How many people in their submissions which obviously have been publicised on the website asked the Senate Committee to conduct a root and branch review in to the Rebels organisation since day one?

I did! I gave them chapter and verse on the financials since the 2009 SANZAR decision to agree to the ARU's request to have a 5th team. I named the individuals I thought they should ask questions of. And I asked the questions I wanted to see them get answers to.
But mine hasn't been published, for some reason.

[Alison]

Its a good submission. But how come I can only see two public submissions? Is that all there was? Or are they the only two which will be used as the others probably touch on what the two submitted touch on so they have those current two as the only submissions?

I think those two submissions alone could use up most of the senate inquiry time.

Will be a disgrace if Clyne doesn't show. In fact he should take Twiggys advice and just resign. The ARU are toxic to rugby in this country.

As I understand it, there is no guarantee that a submission will actually be passed to the committee. The Clerk goes through them all first and decides which ones are relevant to the inquiry and hence which go through. I assume only the ones that get through the gatekeeper end up on the website.

[Alison]

I see Rob Clarke's perspective mug shot is up on the ARU website http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/10...nda-october-11

Except he isn't "fronting" anything. He's hiding behind a telephone receiver 3000 Km away. How bloody insulting!!

[SPaRTAN]

Except he isn't "fronting" anything. He's hiding behind a telephone receiver 3000 Km away. How bloody insulting!!

It shouldnt even be allowed. I would happily contribute some of my GST money to pay for his flight to Perth to stand in front of Senator Reynolds.

The ARU have tried their hardest to turn this into a charade.