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Posted by Marketing on 02/07/2020.

Equestrian WA's Plan for EA's Voluntary Administration

As communicated previously, Equestrian WA (EWA) together with the other States and Territories have proposed a united plan to identify the best structure for the Sport following administration, but what does this mean now?

  • The EWA Board requires the support of EWA members to ensure that Equestrian Australia (EA) restructure is needed for the best long term future which provides the best support of services needed for all.
  • EWA wants and has wanted for some time to change the operations of EA and the sports structure, and we now have the opportunity to do so, but a new whole of sport structure cannot be modelled in 21days. We believe a time frame of 12 months is realistic.
  • Why 12 months, time is required to properly learn what the members, clubs, officials and coaches at all levels expect and need from EA and the State Branches. This requires a structured engagement with the membership.
  • Once services are identified, they need to be fully costed to ensure that any restructure is more efficient and provides the service members require.
  • The need to engage with the Departments of Sport in each State, EWA is very fortunate to receive $180,000pa from the Department of Local Government and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) to manage the sport in WA, if a National centralised structure is introduced this grant is at serious risk. So time is required to establish a model that maintains access to State Funding.
  • EWA has been invited to be part of a Sport reform project organised by DLGSC that includes 11 sports, SportWest and Sport Australia to share knowledge and offer support on sport reform. This project was the result of National sport restructures resulting in significate problems with WA Sporting organisation.
  • EWA operates the State Equestrian Centre (SEC), so the operating structure for the SEC would also need to be considered in any sport restructure.
  • WA, SA and TAS have a much smaller number of members compared to NSW, QLD and VIC; therefore, we must be all sufficiently represented in any national model.
  • The EWA individual discipline competitors are also minimal in number compared to other states, and we run the risk of being lost in a restructuring.
  • At the end of any reform process, constitutional changes will most likely be required. This also takes time.
  • EWA sports committees collect and distribute levies for each of our sports; this is a WA initiative and might be at risk.

Some observations of the current situation with EA:

  • EA was placed in administration by the EA Board this will incur enormous costs already over $220,000 at the end of June, this is members money that should have been spent on members, not the voluntary administrator.
  • The current system is democratic, members elect all State branch boards, and when the Branches vote on EA matters, the Board discuss and vote according to what they see as the best outcome for their members.
  • The State CEOs all work closely together and meet at least monthly to ensure alignment, shared knowledge and resources occur wherever practical.
  • In the past two years is has been the EA Board that that has been dysfunctional through individual Board members failing to be able to work together leading to resignations, the Branches have not been privy to the Board minutes or issues in recent times. They, therefore, have been unable to assist in dealing with the problems.
  • The EA Board placed EA in voluntary administration, so it appears strange that some suggest that the State branches are replaced by a more powerful EA when it is their dysfunction that has caused the problem and their practices that caused to the removal of Sport Australia funding.
  • EWA has elections for our Sport committees, Coaching committee and the Board, and we are representative and functional as are the other states.
  • Any restructure that is proposed in a short period would only represent the loudest and most vocal, we would like to ensure all have an opportunity to participate in reform.

Change at EA is required, and we need to identify what is broken and how best to fix it in a considered manner the EWA Board requires your support to ensure we can emerge with a better EA.

 

DWIGHT PEDLOW
Chief Executive Officer, Equestrian Western Australia Inc

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