Western Australian Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds will call for a Senate Inquiry into the Australian Rugby Union’s decision to cull the Western Force from Super Rugby, with Federal Minister for Sport Greg Hunt also lobbying for an investigation.
Senator Reynolds told The Australian yesterday she will seek the support of the Senate for an inquiry as soon as the upper house resumes in a fortnight. With the NSW Supreme Court to determine tomorrow whether to grant the Force leave to appeal against the decision, events seem to be gathering pace around the ARU’s controversial call to cut the Force from next year’s competition.
Hunt also weighed into the controversy yesterday in support of the Force. “We have an overwhelming preference for five Australian teams as part of the Super Rugby competition,” he said.
“The loss of a team for any state is devastating for both players and supporters. I would urge the ARU to work with the Force and the WA Government to look for a five team solution. I have now raised the issue with the ARU.”
He also supported Senator Reynolds’ call for an investigation of the process that led to the decision. “Any external review that charted a path to this outcome would be welcome.”
The Force’s billionaire backer Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest will meet today with ARU chairman Cameron Clyne and two directors, John Eales and Brett Robinson, in Adelaide to determine whether any support he can give the game nationally and in the West can persuade the ARU to reverse its decision.
And, as expected, the West Australian Government has warned the ARU it will sue it for the $100 million-plus it has poured into the Force — a move that could bankrupt the cash-strapped national body.
Senator Reynolds put the ARU on notice with an adjournment speech to the Senate last week at which she called for the ARU to publicly release information relating to the board’s decision to cut the Force, in particular “the big spreadsheet” it claimed demonstrated the decision was in the best interests of Australian rugby.
Yesterday, she upped the ante.
“There are serious questions that need to be answered on how the ARU came to this decision and I believe a Senate inquiry can bring much-needed transparency to the process, ”she said.
When someone as well respected as former ARU board member Geoffrey Stooke OAM resigns and publicly states ARU processes ‘lacked integrity and due diligence’, it is time to act.’’
She said she was deeply disappointed that no ARU officials had attended Sunday’s “Save the Force” rally to explain to Force fans why they had made the call to cut the franchise. “Therefore, I will be calling for the first public inquiry hearing to be conducted in Perth, so that those most impacted by their decision can hear first-hand the reasons why,” she said.
“If the ARU has nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear from Senate and public scrutiny of their decision making processes.”
The ARU seemingly was always acting on the premise that, as the national body owned their Super Rugby licence, culling the Force would not pose any logistic problems, but it has become clear in the 11 days since it made that decision that it has brought down a firestorm on its own head.
Certainly if the WA government is able to demonstrate the ARU committed to having the Force based in Perth for the foreseeable future, it would have a solid case to call for compensation for the $95m it poured into the redevelopment of nib Stadium and the $17m it invested in the RugbyWA headquarters.
In his letter to ARU chief executive Bill Pulver, West Australian Premier Mark McGowan spelt out his state’s demands. “These investments were not made lightly and were made with the clear expectation and understanding that the Western Force would continue to participate in the Super Rugby competition,” McGowan wrote.
“Therefore, the WA state government believes the decision by the ARU to remove Western Force from the competition is in breach of its commitments to the people of Western Australia. With this in mind, I can confirm the WA state government is now exploring all legal options aimed at seeking compensation from the ARU.”
Against this backdrop, Clyne, Eales and Robinson are flying today to Adelaide to meet Forrest.
It is viewed as a convenient halfway point between Sydney and Perth. But if their expectation is that Forrest will pull out his chequebook and offer a massive amount, then it will quickly prove to be a wasted trip.
Forrest has made it clear that he does not do business that way and expects there to be a significant degree of self-help. If, however, they go in to negotiate practical ways that he can assist, then perhaps it will prove a productive meeting.
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