Government review of Titans charity

[Toads]

Federal Indigenous Affairs department tight-lipped on funding review of Titans 4 Tomorrow

Paul Weston Gold Coast Bulletin March 14, 2015 12:00AM


THE Federal Government has conducted a review into the funding it provides for a Gold Coast Titans charity

A COMPLAINT about government funding of a Gold Coast Titans charity sparked a review by Indigenous Affairs but the department is staying tight-lipped about the outcome.

A Bulletin investigation last year detailed significant transactions between the club and the charity, founded and managed by former Titans co-owner, Michael Searle.

Correspondence obtained since shows Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion responded to a complaint and indicated “the matter is currently being reviewed”.

RELATED: TITANS CHARITY RACKS UP DEBTS


Former Gold Coast Titan's co-owner Michael Searle founded and managed the Titans 4 Tomorrow charity.

Titans 4 Tomorrow management maintains the charity has not taken part in any review “and to our knowledge no review is planned”.

The charity’s ambassador Preston Campbell released a statement revealing he was seeking urgent talks with Mr Scullion as he feared the club’s drug allegations could affect the charity.

“It would be devastating to see our life-changing programs come to a halt because of the allegations against some players,” Mr Campbell said.

The Bulletin report last year revealed company records showed the charity was paying the club rent of almost $750,000 a year in 2011 at the same time it was receiving $1.5 million of taxpayers’ money.

The rental payments dropped to $88,000 in 2013, despite T4T expanding its programs tenfold. The charity had more than $1.5 million in liabilities in October 2013.

T4T directors later said all loans except motor vehicle finance, had been repaid in full.


Titans 4 Tomorrow ambassador Preston Campbell with students at a careers expo.

Last November, in a letter to McPherson MP Karen Andrews, Mr Scullion indicated his department was aware of concerns raised in the Bulletin about the relationship between the club and the charity.

A spokesman for Mr Scullion said: “The minister is unable to comment on specific matters or provide updates regarding reviews.”

A T4T spokesman said: “Yes, our funding has not changed and we are doing our best to remind the community and government that we are a separate organisation from the club, run by a separate board.”

Source: goldcoastbulletin.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Thanks for posting. This is an issue I am very interested in.

the charity was paying the club rent of almost $750,000 a year in 2011 at the same time it was receiving $1.5 million of taxpayers’ money.

Absolutely sickening.

[Toads]

It is a good indication on how someone's conscience was. And this is just one incident within the club, let alone all the other **** that went down.

Gotta feel for Presto 'n the others that put their all into it..

[DIEHARD]

Gold Coast indigenous charity hit by government cuts, while Titans close development program

A TITANS charity promoted by All Stars founder Preston Campbell is reeling as part of an Abbott government crackdown on indigenous programs that has seen at least $2 million worth of funding slashed from NRL community programs.

A Sunday Mail investigation has also found the Titans 4 Tomorrow’s training-and-education arm has been deregistered following the cocaine scandal that forced NRL intervention.

Groundbreaking indigenous programs throughout rugby league have suffered major cutbacks in the wake of Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s budget reform, with the NRL’s own One Community excluded completely from receiving any funding from the indigenous Advancement Strategy.

An NRL spokesman confirmed rugby league powerbrokers are still working with government on indigenous initiatives, but as it stands they’ve lost at least $860,000 from their future plans.

It’s a similar story across the league where NRL clubs have felt the squeeze, although Queensland’s three NRL clubs were successful in attaining funding albeit at reduced levels as only 41 per cent of more than 2000 organisation applicants were successful.

The Titans 4 Tomorrow organisation has been the heaviest hit in the NRL with a seven-figure funding reduction that is set to spark job cuts after plans to take their leading indigenous program national was rejected.

T4T ambassador Preston Campbell admitted he was concerned about the future of his program but vowed to keep up his invaluable work with indigenous youth.

“Everybody has been feeling the pinch,” Campbell said.

“Given the funding is a lot less we may need to let some people go. I just don’t know what’s going to happen to be honest.

“I’m going to fight for what we do here at T4T. I will keep my head up.”

Campbell said the recent cocaine crisis to strike the Titans NRL club had added to the strain on T4T, as they had to reassure stakeholders the two entities were completely separate after they formally split last year.

“We were worried. You’d have to be naive not to think that it’s going to affect us,” he said.

“We sort of rung around and reassured people that what we were doing was a little bit separate to the club.

“We’re just plugging away and hoping to get funding to be able to keep running the programs to the extent it’s been running.”

T4T chairman Joshua Creamer insisted the organisation was not under threat following the NRL’s decision to reclaim the Titans’ licence in the wake of the cocaine crisis last month.

Creamer said T4T, which once operated at a $5m budget, would now be less than half and cuts needed to be made to their entire operation.

But Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents sighted by The Sunday Mail paint a bleak picture for the organisation.

On Monday, Titans founder and T4T director Michael Searle lodged a form applying for Titans 4 Tomorrow Employment and Training Pty Ltd to be shut down.

As part of the application, Searle declared the company was not “carrying on business” and had assets “worth less than $1000”.

While parent company Titans 4 Tomorrow Limited remains operational, the organisation’s spending activities have come under incessant scrutiny.

Last year, financial records showed T4T was paying the Titans rent of almost $750,000 a year at the same time it was receiving $1.5 million in taxpayers’ funds.

The rent for space at the Titans’ ill-fated Centre of Excellence peaked at $748,000 in 2011 before dropping to just $88,000 last year — despite Titans 4 Tomorrow increasing its programs tenfold.

The organisation also sought three loans — including one in 2013 from Gold Coast Titans Pty Ltd for $417,392.

T4T is now based out of an office in Southport and their only link to the Titans NRL club is for the occasional use of players for community work.

Creamer said T4T would even consider a name change in the future as they set about major restructuring to ensure survival.

“The name has been sort of flagged a while ago about potentially changing the name,” Creamer said.

“I’m pretty keen on building on Preston’s legacy and if we have some type of name to continue on from his support that would be good. That’s all up for consideration.

“We’re definitely planning a very different landscape over the next 12 months to 24 months.

“There are going to be changes unfortunately … we’re operating at the moment around 24 or 25 staff. We just have to make changes.”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/...-1227262558008

[Mexican titan]

I'm only a bush lawyer but wasn't the Titans rent bill about the same amount that the charity arm has paid. My point is was the Titans rent (for the football arm as well) paid for by the charity arm out of funds given by the Govt. The amount dropped last year when cat was let out of the bag?
Or am I completely reading this the wrong way.

[Titanic]

This issue is undoubtedly the worst of the original management's little schemes ... sadly, they are not the only ones to hide revenue streams behind indigenous programs. This can only end badly unless like many other issues surrounding the indigenous people's welfare it just fades away ... because it can.

Totally disgusted.