September 5, 2017

Fight for Western Force has just begun

WA Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds will push ahead tomorrow with a motion to launch a Senate Inquiry into the future of Rugby Union in Australia after RugbyWA lost its appeal in the Supreme Court of New South Wales today.

“I share the disappointment of the WA sporting community following this decision and remain concerned about the lack of transparency and the decision making process used by Australian Rugby Union in cutting Western Force from the national competition,” Senator Reynolds said.

“Western Force is so much more than a sports team – it’s a community and the devastation that community faces was evident in Captain Matt Hodgson’s statement to the media today. As Matt said, Western Australians need transparency, and they need to understand the process and reason behind ARU’s decision.

“Western Force is the nation’s third largest rugby playing community, and its removal from the national competition will leave Australian Rugby all the poorer. The reasoning behind this decision must be explained and made public.”

Senator Reynolds said despite the loss, WA Rugby still had a bright future ahead of it.

“I welcome Andrew Forrest’s plans to start his own competition in the Indo-Pacific region,” she said.

“We will not give up the fight to keep Rugby Union in WA.”

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

That the following matter be referred to the Community Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 13 November 2017;

The future of rugby union in Australia, with particular reference to:

1. ARU board deliberations leading to the decision to reduce Australian teams from five to four in the national competition;
2. whether there continues to be a truly national rugby union footprint in Australia;
3. the role of national and state based bodies in encouraging greater national participation in rugby union;
4. the corporate governance arrangements and composition of national and state based rugby union bodies including community representation on those bodies;
5. the impact of the decision to reduce the number of Australia teams on national participation in rugby union; and
6. any other related matters.

Media Contact: Amy Blom – 08 9477 5411, 0431 685 372 or amy.blom@aph.gov.au