News threat to torpedo IC talks over last member
Brad Walter
June 29, 2011
NEWS LTD has threatened to walk away from negotiations for the independent commission after a meeting yesterday over the identity of the eighth and final candidate for the new body ended in stalemate.
The stand-off between News Ltd, the QRL, ARL and NRL clubs ends hopes that the independent commission would be announced tomorrow, and the Herald was told that News chief operating officer Peter Macourt threatened during the heated meeting that the media organisation may not exit the game for a further five years.
At the centre of the dispute is Macourt and QRL director Terry Mackenroth's insistence that Mark Williamson be made one of the eight commissioners.
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ARL chairman John Chalk and South Sydney chairman Nicholas Pappas want former Wests Magpies and Wests Tigers chairman Jim Marsden to be on the commission as a representative of western Sydney.
It is understood that Chalk and Pappas offered to nominate another candidate as a compromise but Macourt and Mackenroth refused to budge and insist that two of the eight commissioners must come from Queensland.
Williamson is a former Ansett executive who oversaw the then News Ltd-owned airline's sponsorship of the Broncos and was later appointed to the North Queensland board. He was one of the nominations for the independent commission put forward by the QRL, along with IT guru and former Kangaroo John Grant.
Of the other six commissioners already agreed upon, four reside in Sydney - former Qantas chief financial officer Peter Gregg, ad man Ian Elliott, businesswoman Catherine Harris and rugby league great Wayne Pearce.
Former Sydney Olympics boss Gary Pemberton lives on the Gold Coast but is not considered a Queenslander by the QRL or News Ltd, while CSR executive director and lawyer Jeremy Sutcliffe is from Victoria.
A meeting of the Sydney-based NRL club chairmen on Monday instructed Pappas to stand by Marsden, whose standing in western Sydney is such that he was approached by the AFL to join an advisory committee for expansion club GWS Giants.
Marsden, who comes from one of the oldest and best-known families in Campbelltown, was nominated by Wests Tigers officials, who believe he would also provide the commission with an understanding of the licensed club industry.
When News Ltd and the QRL refused to budge on Williamson being the eighth candidate, Chalk is understood to have presented a compromise by nominating someone other than Marsden - but his offer was rejected.
The Herald was told that Chalk and Pappas walked out of the meeting but sources close to the negotiations say that did not happen.
However, the meeting ended with the parties no closer to a resolution and no date set for their next meeting after Macourt threatened that News Ltd would stay in the game for a further five years.
It was suggested to the Herald that News Ltd made the threat out of frustration after Pappas had previously been one of three members of the subcommittee to veto Marsden as a candidate.
News Ltd also alleged that Chalk had previously agreed to Williamson being on the commission and said they reluctantly agreed to Pemberton as a trade-off.
A dispute over News Ltd's refusal to guarantee it won't start another Super League-style breakaway competition also remains unresolved and is a serious stumbling block to the formation of the independent commission.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...last-member-20110628-1gp8o.html#ixzz1QbsIqkOx
