Tassie ups ante on Demetriou with Senate investigation
Peter Jean | August 28, 2008
AFL bosses will be called before a Senate inquiry to explain why footy-mad Tasmania has been denied a league team of its own. The AFL commissioners have prioritised the admission of Gold Coast and western Sydney teams over Tasmania.
The Senate will today back a bid by Tasmanian Labor senator Kerry O'Brien for a committee inquiry into the AFL's decision.
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou is expected to be among those called to give evidence before the Senate committee.
"This will keep the pressure on the AFL to give Tasmania a fair shake," O'Brien said last night.
"It's about revealing to the public the whole rationale for the AFL's decisions and exposing the strength of Tasmania's case and the best way possible in an environment where people can say what they want to say under parliamentary privilege."
The AFL was last night standing by its decision to make the granting of licences to Gold Coast and western Sydney a priority.
"The AFL has decided the 17th and 18th teams will be from western Sydney and the Gold Coast," spokesman Patrick Keane said.
"Beyond that we've not made any decision on the creation of any new teams in any particular areas."
Eight-one per cent of respondents to the Herald Sun's Footy Fans Survey last month favoured Tasmania over Queensland and New South Wales as the home of a new team.
The inquiry is being established with the support of the Federal Government, the Greens, South Australian independent senator Nick Xenophon and Family First.
Family First senator Steve Fielding last night accused the AFL of slapping Tasmanians in the face by overlooking the state's bid.
"If the AFL stood for the ordinary punter, why wouldn't they support a team from Tasmania?" Fielding said.
Opposition sport spokesman Pat Farmer said the inquiry was a waste of time because Federal Parliament had no power to force the AFL to admit a Tasmanian team.
"At the end of the day this is a publicity stunt by the Labor Party," Farmer said.
"For all of the time and money wasted on a Senate inquiry, it will still be up to the AFL to decide whether or not Tasmania gets a team."
The inquiry's draft terms of reference include an investigation into "whether the AFL commissioners' obligations to current supporters of the game override their desire to promote larger television audiences for it".
The Tasmanian Government has been running an aggressive campaign for the island state to be the home of an AFL team.
Chocolate maker Mars has promised a $4 million, three-year sponsorship deal for a Tassie team.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24252695-19742,00.html
