Gerard Whateley says there’s mass confusion at Cricket Victoria as the state body prepares to formally announce mass job cuts.
As many as 65 jobs could go as Cricket Victoria attempt to restructure in the face of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
But Whateley doesn’t understand why a nearly $11m “rainy day fund” of investment properties which Cricket Victoria own isn't being used as an immediate cash injection for the beleaguered organisation.
The previous generations of (Cricket Victoria) administrations had put in safeguards for the rainy day – it’s pelting down at the moment,” Whateley told SEN's Whateley.
“There are the investment properties, and this is what was built up as a portfolio across the 1980s and 90s. They are commercial real estate and earn rental income for Cricket Victoria. I think they’re largely based in Collingwood and Richmond and they’re valued at $10.6 million.
“I’m told that if Cricket Australia was to cut the funding to the states by 25 per cent, that would be between seven and eight million dollars.
“Those investment properties are valued at $10.6 million – that’s the rainy day fund.
"One of the questions among many that sit for the leadership of Cricket Victoria is why would they tap into the rainy day fund which has been left to them by the visionaries of the past and instead so readily sacrifice such a large number of staff and risk what cricket in this state looks like on the other side."
Whateley said the way Cricket Victoria was handling mass redundancies internally was “reprehensible” and called for a public explanation outlining why so many long-serving staff have lost their jobs.
“(These jobs cuts) seemed to have been rammed through under the cover of COVID-19,” he said.
“Why there hasn’t been a suitable explanation given publicly by the chairman or CEO is an open question, why it hasn’t been privately delivered to those who are the stakeholders in Cricket Victoria is reprehensible for the time being.
“There is confusion and in the confusion, there’s anger. I absolutely feel for the staff, they’re long time servants of the game who are getting three paragraph generic emails outlining the end of their time at the organisation.
“Nothing personal, not a word of thanks and in some cases a bit worse than that.”