ACB: Players representation on new contracts (8 Oct 1997)

Australian Cricketers Association representation of Australian players 8 October 1997 _________________________________________________________________

The following media release was issued by the Australian Cricket Board on 8 October 1997:

Australian Cricket Board (ACB) Chief Executive Officer Mr. Malcolm Speed today announced that the ACB had received written notification from 108 players across Australia, appointing the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) to represent them in negotiations for agreements with the ACB and State Associations under the Workplace Relations Act.

Mr. Speed said the Board would now deal with this development in its normal course of business.

"While this step from just over a week ago was clearly open to the players, the ACB does feel disappointed it has occurred," Mr. Speed said.

Mr. Speed said the ACB had met with ACA officials on several occasions and remained prepared to meet with the Players' Association, and had advised the ACA of this after its Annual General Meeting in late September.

"The ACB has twice sought a meeting with the ACA within the last fortnight and we remain confident the two parties will hold further discussions in the near future," Mr. Speed said.

"We must say that the ACB has always had a policy of developing and encouraging individual relationships with players and we feel this system has worked extremely well. This step now has the potential to cause confusion in the relations between players and their individual managers."

Mr. Speed repeated that the ACB believed the elite players in Australian cricket were well-rewarded. Players have also been given a 10 per cent increase in overall contract player payments for Sheffield Shield and international cricket for the coming season.

"ACB Chairman Mr. Denis Rogers has already stated that cricket is fully prepared to detail the game's incomes and expenditures to the players and the wider cricket public," Mr. Speed said.

"In a number of recent meetings with senior players, they have all asked to know the state of the game's finances and the Board, led by Denis Rogers, will disclose this information as an indication of good faith and our regard for the future welfare of the sport.

"Our players are obviously a major resource of the ACB.

"We are well aware of the challenge of balancing the commercial needs of our stars of today against the duty to perform our role as custodians of the game and protect and nurture it to ensure the development of the stars of tomorrow," he said.