Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Community Affairs References Committee on the future of rugby union in Australia together with the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the committee.

Ordered that the report be printed.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

First off, I would like to thank all the witnesses who gave evidence to the committee, sometimes in quite trying circumstances, and the submitters. Unfortunately, as is always the case with these inquiries, we can't hear from every submitter, so I would particularly like to thank all of them. Also, I acknowledge the many rugby union fans who came to the hearings. I acknowledge the hurt that has been caused by the decision to cut the Western Force, a Western Australian team, from the Super Rugby competition. It has hurt and caused a great deal of stress and anxiety for not only the Western Force players but also, of course, the huge legion of Western Force fans—and in fact rugby union fans across Australia.

The committee has made eight recommendations. In our conclusion, we make the point that this inquiry grew out of concerns expressed by members of the rugby community about the future of rugby union under the stewardship of the Australian Rugby Union, commonly known as the ARU. The committee considers that some of the evidence it has received through this inquiry raises questions regarding the governance of the ARU and its stewardship of rugby union in Australia. We recommend that the Australian Sports Commission consider an additional principle to be introduced in the commission's Sports Governance Principles in relation to national sporting organisations' commitment and duty to player welfare. Recommendation 2 is that the Australian Rugby Union immediately transfer all intellectual property and trademarks associated with the Western Force to Rugby WA. We further recommend that the Western Australian government review evidence to the committee in relation to the process used to eliminate Western Force from the national Super Rugby competition, and seek further legal advice on what assurances were provided to them by the ARU and in particular the Australian Rugby Union negotiations with both the Victorian and Western Australian governments which informed the good faith investment decisions by the Western Australian government on behalf of Western Australian taxpayers.

We further recommend that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission review the evidence received by the committee regarding transactions involving the Melbourne Rebels. We further recommend that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission review the financial circumstances reported in Australian Rugby Union's annual reports against the evidence presented to the committee. We also recommend that Australian Rugby Union consider implementing measures outside of state based bodies which ensure the involvement and engagement with grassroots rugby union supporters, particularly in relation to consultation and decision-making processes that concern significant change to the nature and future direction of the sport. We also recommend 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. Finally, the committee recommends that the Commonwealth undertake a review of world's best practice sporting policies in relation to sporting funding and performance measures. We conclude there is little doubt that the structural decline in the game's finances will continue to challenge the ARU and Super Rugby going forward. The committee accepts that external factors have played a significant role in shaping the changing environment in which Super Rugby now finds itself but considers that a number of decisions taken by the ARU have made those factors more acute. Those factors include the decision to support SANZAAR's expansion of the Super Rugby competition to 18 teams against the will of major Australian rugby stakeholders and the decision to provide significant additional financial support to the Melbourne Rebels. The committee acknowledges that the ARU board is trying to improve the financial and on-field performance of Australian rugby and is aware that there might be difficult times ahead.

There was very significant evidence presented to the committee inquiry. There's obviously a great deal of concern still in Western Australia. In fact, I'd say that concern was certainly palpable at the committee inquiry. I really urge people that are interested in the future of rugby union in this country to read this report, because there are significant issues raised in this report. Senator Linda Reynolds will go through a great deal of the evidence that we received. She has played a critical role in this inquiry. I will leave her to go through the evidence that we received. Please, read this. We need to do something in terms of this sport. And in terms of these recommendations, I urge that they be implemented.