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Olympics boss on list for first commission
Brad Walter
May 28, 2011
SYDNEY Olympics boss Garry Pemberton, former Qantas director and chief financial officer Peter Gregg, IT guru John Grant and league great Wayne Pearce are understood to be among the eight members of the independent commission, which could be unveiled as early as next week.
The Herald has learnt that the sub-committee comprising News Ltd chief operating officer Peter Macourt, ARL chairman John Chalk, QRL director Terry Mackenroth and South Sydney chairman Nicholas Pappas has agreed on eight names who would be the inaugural commissioners for the new body. However, the final list of names need to be ratified by News Ltd and the ARL, and the Herald understands there could be a push to make changes.
Among the others are a woman, believed to be based in Sydney, but there is no indigenous representative. The Herald has been told that David Liddiard - the former Parramatta, Penrith and Manly star, who heads the National Aboriginal Sports Corporation - was the victim of horse-trading over other candidates.
News Ltd opposed the appointment of former ARL supremo John Quayle but have agreed to support Pemberton, who was involved in negotiating international and domestic broadcast deals for the Sydney 2000 Olympics in his role as SOCOG chairman.
Gregg is the chief financial officer and an associate director of construction group Leighton Holdings after leaving Qantas in 2008, while Grant is a former Australian Test winger who has his own IT company, Data#3. Recruitment consultants Spencer Stuart, which drew up the initial list of candidates for the commission and have been conducting interviews, recommended that one of the positions go to a former player, and Pearce will fill that role.
It is understood the former Balmain and Kangaroos back-rower, whose son Mitchell played halfback for NSW in Wednesday night's State of Origin, has agreed to quit his role as commentator with Fox Sports to meet the eligibility criteria, which precludes commissioners from working in the media.
Both Grant and Pemberton, who has also been chairman of Billabong, Qantas, Brambles and NSW Tab, live in Queensland, which would make it difficult for either to be chairman of the new body.
The formation of the independent commission is expected to move a step closer on Tuesday, with Queensland Rugby League officials having indicated they will sign an agreement to become one of the 18 members of the new body - along with the 16 NRL clubs and the NSWRL. The QRL will also agree to the constitutional changes needed to transform the ARL into the new Australian Rugby League Commission.
Besides the appointment of the commissioners, the last stumbling block remains News Ltd's refusal to guarantee it will never start a Super League-type breakaway competition again. The media company has agreed to sign a non-compete clause for five years after it hands control of the game to the new body but that has been rejected by the ARL and NRL clubs. News Ltd argues that it would not make sense for the company to start a rival competition while it has the first and last rights of refusal on broadcast rights until 2027, and the Herald has been told there is no concern about another Super League war in that time.
However, the fear is that it would become more attractive for News Ltd to do so after the first and last rights option expires, if it were to be outbid for the broadcast rights.
Telstra is considered to be one of the few companies big enough and with the resources to challenge News Ltd for the broadcast rights.
