Members of the Wests Tigers Unite group say they are relieved to hear reports that the office of NSW Liquor & Gaming has already commenced a probe into the Holman Barnes Group (HBG) governance.
Wests Tigers Unite has brought together leading Wests Tigers-focussed social media and podcast platforms to advocate primarily for two things, firstly, for the HBG to support and implement the full recommendations of a 2023 review into the Wests Tigers NRL club, and secondly, for the implementation of the review into the governance of the majority owners of the Wests Tigers, HBG.
The group has launched a petition calling for that review into the governance of the HBG and signatures now total over 1,300. In the coming weeks, Wests Tigers Unite intends to present this petition to the HBG, Liquor & Gaming NSW, and the NSW Minister for Liquor and Gaming, The Hon. David Harris, MP.
It is expected that the petition will add community and fan weight to that review.
Meanwhile, Wests Tigers Unite would like to respond to a statement released by the HBG yesterday, in which the HBG attempted to squash recent criticism of its reluctance to fully support the review recommendations, as well as concerns about the group’s debenture holder system.
Wests Tigers Unite says the statement, although heavy on words, was light on substance and has done nothing to quell their concerns. Namely, the group remains concerned that:
The statement gave no timeline as to when the full review recommendations would be implemented. Without a timeline and transparency, we find this to be of little comfort and is nothing more than words.
In particular, the statement gave no defined timeline for the implementation of the most important recommendations, the appointment of four independent directors to the Wests Tigers board, and the constitutional change needed at the Wests Tigers to allow this to happen. The review recommendations called for this process to be completed within six months, and is now seven months overdue. This means Wests Tigers continues to be hampered by a four-person interim board, including two non-elected HBG debenture holders.
Thus, we ask the HBG to confirm to Wests Tigers fans and members without delay what the timeline is to have these important recommendations adopted.
In regards to the debenture holder group at the HBG, Wests Tigers Unite believes it is now most likely a moot point as the state government authority investigates that function of governance at the HBG.
However, we would like to see the HBG answer these questions specifically:
- What exactly is involved in the “rigorous screening process” that members are put through when they try to gain a debenture?
- How does the HBG know that the debenture holders accurately reflect and represent a broad cross-section of their membership (around 27,500 people)?
- Why doesn’t any other registered club in NSW (according to our research) have debentures?
- What is the “ever-changing environment” that you believe the debenture system protects the HBG from? How does the debenture system specifically safeguard the club from it? And, why don’t other similar clubs, presumably in similar operating environments and facing similar challenges, use a debenture group?
- Is debenture holder John Hardgrove correct when he says the debenture system has served its purpose but a new system is now needed?
- Is it fair and reasonable that just 17 club debenture-holding members (at present) hold five of the seven positions on the board?
- When will the external audit of the Wests Tigers review implementation process, which was reportedly blocked by HBG, be completed? Why was this blocked in the first place?
And, finally, we ask, how can fans and members have faith in the stability and effectiveness of your governance when almost half of your board is suspended?
The HBG preaches stability, unity, and progress in its statement. We now want to see actions, not just words.
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