Well, with this guy in charge, what do you expect?

https://www.afr.com/politics/court-bid-for-missing-perrin-investment-20100528-ivgsn

Looks so unprofessional.

"We don't want to be paying things that we shouldn’t..."

It is $22 a day, you can't even buy a good meal for that. Back to the bush-league operation is it? Unreal...

Apparently there is more to come too

If someone can undo the paywall here that would be great.

36ers players yet to receive incidental entitlements after nine NBL rounds
by Matt Logue
December 8, 2023 - 8:46AM
Code Sports

Adelaide 36ers CEO Nic Barbato says the club will start to reimburse players their full entitlements after delaying paying players the travel allowance to start the season.

Adelaide 36ers CEO Nic Barbato says the club will start to reimburse players their full entitlements after delaying paying players the $22-a-day travel allowance over the opening nine rounds of the season.

Code Sports has been investigating the 36ers over revelations players are yet to receive an incidental entitlement which was included in the new CBA.

Under the agreement with the players and the clubs, the players are entitled to claim up to $22 a day for out of pocket expenses while travelling.

It's understood the incidental payments for each team amounts to between $6000 and $7000 over the course of the season.

Questions were put to the club on Thursday about the unpaid expense claims and Barbato explained the two-month delay in expenses was because the club received no clarity on payable incidentals from the NBL or the Players’ Association.

He says this forced the club to, "do the work ourselves" after reaching out to the ATO for a policy they could implement.

Sources confirm the club responded with an email to all players approximately 10 minutes after Code Sports had spoken to the club, outlining what they can claim based on the ATO’s expenses list.

Asked if the out-of-pocket 36ers players will now be reimbursed, Barbato said: “If it is a claimable expense, for sure, yes.

“We don’t want to be paying things that we shouldn’t, but also we’ll pay things that are the right incidentals.

“I asked our finance department to ask if we were in line with ATO rules. They produced a policy based on ATO rules on what is and isn’t claimable as an incidental and that has just gone out to the players with the view that if they have any issues they can come back to the finance department and have a discussion.

“We’re trying to go through it systematically and in the right way.”

Barbato said he hasn’t heard from the players or the Players’ Association about the unpaid incidental payments.

Code Sports understands players unknowingly used the new entitlement during the pre-season NBL Blitz on the Gold Coast when the players provided receipts for purchases like a pair of shoes and were knocked back.

It’s understood the players haven’t wrongly used the travel entitlement since then.

It’s believed players have been asked to provide receipts for incidentals like coffee and snacks - and while the players have obliged with the receipts – at the time of publication the players had yet to be reimbursed for the expenses.

Frustrated Adelaide players have flagged the issue with the Australian Basketball Players’ Association (ABPA).

It comes as the 36ers parted ways with head coach CJ Bruton on Wednesday following a disappointing 4-9 start to the season.

Adelaide club legend Scott Ninnis has been named interim coach following Bruton’s departure.

The 36ers host the Cairns Taipans on Saturday night from 8pm (AEDT).

Meh, so presumably all take home wages, PAYG withholding and super payable has been paid but not an allowance? Okay.

It looks like the players have decided to air every little grievance to the media, which Kelly deserves, so I can't wait for the next (and hopefully bigger) one.

Anyone else bemused that the per day entitlement is $22?

For a league touting itself as first class, that amount is laughable.

If I were to guess what the entitlement was prior to it being disclosed, I wouldn't honestly guessed ballpark $150.

I imagine going to Sydney to play a $22 allowance gets you a cup of coffee and a muffin from Muffin Break.

@Perthworld

It depends if it's just a procedural breakdown or more like what Q Anon was talking about where GK is going to the ATO to check if he should be responsible for paying those reimbursements. Try keeping morale high and convincing the players you care about them and want the best from them when the owner is trying to stiff them $22.

Anyone else bemused that the per day entitlement is $22?

I imagine going to Sydney to play a $22 allowance gets you a cup of coffee and a muffin from Muffin Break.

@Perthworld

It depends if it's just a procedural breakdown or more like what Q Anon was talking about where GK is going to the ATO to check if he should be responsible for paying those reimbursements. Try keeping morale high and convincing the players you care about them and want the best from them when the owner is trying to stiff them $22.

I find this a little bit funny. Look who the 36er player reps are.

https://www.australianbasketballers.com.au/leadership-and-management

I don't know all the facts, but if it's true management are dictating playing minutes instead of letting Ninnis salvage whatever possible, I am not watching or attending another game while that lasts.

I find this a little bit funny. Look who the 36er player reps are.

https://www.australianbasketballers.com.au/leadership-and-management

This is a nothing story, so random. Lines up with disgruntled players being told they are out of rotations?

This is a nothing story, so random. Lines up with disgruntled players being told they are out of rotations?

Players not being paid what they are entitled to is more than a nothing story. It's a window into the operations of the day to day.

This would not happen under Bendat or Blackwell

You want success? These are the non negotiable simple things to get right. The per diem isn't a new thing to the league so its very odd that its an issue this year when there are question marks over the teams capacity to compete financially.

It shouldn't take 6 months to find out what should or shouldn't be paid. Read the ATO website and it's a straight forward process. I dont know of any other team this has been an issue for.

This matches up with an owner who threw the farm at last season hoping for success on the hopes of a high offer exit.

Perthworld - thanks for the ATO clarification, the issue makes more sense to me now.

Are Pelligra still interested in buying the club in light of the arena redevelopment?

At this rate they'll get to buy it from GK for a steal.

Well, with this guy in charge, what do you expect?

https://www.afr.com/politics/court-bid-for-missing-perrin-investment-20100528-ivgsn

Typo in the article. It's definitely him. There are photos in other articles of the day in court that show him.

And now the article has disappeared from News Corp

I got legs
I can walk
all the way done the dirt track

correction

article still up

Festivus has come early this year for the sixers.
Looking forward to the feats of strength portion next.

$22 per day? Are they children on a school camp or something? Money for lollies?

Brilliant, Luuuc.

A much needed chuckle after this shit show.

It seems typical for the 36ers to be the ones having trouble with us and no other club having apparent issues?

With that said - these things aren't easy and businesses usually get these things wrong and have to correct and employees often get these things wrong and have to correct as well.

It’s a very very very very common thing.

Lol at the video of Mitch going off at training. I hope someone ironically leaked the video when he is complaining of snitches...

Anyone else bemused that the per day entitlement is $22?

For a league touting itself as first class, that amount is laughable.

If I were to guess what the entitlement was prior to it being disclosed, I wouldn't honestly guessed ballpark $150.

Don't know what it is now but in the NBA about ten years ago the per diems per player were only like $100 a day. They're paid a hell of a lot more than 5x what an NBL player is paid.

This doesn't get leaked because of "ZOMG, I'm missing out on $22 per day".

How it transpires is likely to be this;
1) Hey, I've had a look, I think I should be getting more, can you check your payroll software.

2) Ohh yeah, just as I thought, you forgot to check the tickbox in Xero, which would have automated this for you. Can you check the box, and reconcile what we're owed?

2a) Secretly thinking "What a bunch of muppets, who forgets to tick that box"

3) What do you mean you won't back pay us? It was your error.

3a) Everyone on the roster is now annoyed they wont get back pay... not out of the quantum of money owed, but it further entrenches the reputation of a mediocre organisation which won't honour its mistakes, and without this it can't improve.

4) Leak to media.

Zodiac, it was detailed further up that the $22 is just an incidentals thing. The numbers vary by city but in Adelaide, for example, accommodation is $157 and food/drink is $30 breakfast, $33 lunch and $60 dinner. So, ~$300/day all up.

I assume accommodation is provided by league/club partners or organised by the club. And it may be that meals are handled in a similar way.

I've always thought a per diem can be low because the team takes care of everything else.

They arrange transport to airport to hotel to game to hotel to airport.

I have personally seen another team at a hotel and they have meals as a team in their own dining room, so I figured the team pays for the hotel and meals.

Its only if you separate from the team.

Agreed though its not a good look if the organisation does not take care of player entitlements.

At least we have 4K McCarron who is elite at applying for player payments from the NBLPA

Typo in the article. It's definitely him. There are photos in other articles of the day in court that show him.

Court bid for missing Perrin investment
by Marsha Jacobs
Updated May 28, 2010 - 4.25am, first published at 2.51am


Litigation funder IMF Australia will finance a $5.4 million claim on behalf of 100 investors whose money was channelled to former Billabong boss Matthew Perrin, and now cannot be traced.

Though Mr Perrin is not being sued, the claim will name his business associate, Nicola Barbato, a trust of which she was the sole director, and the administrator of the trust.

Blue Sky Private Equity, which now acts as trustee of the trust after a court appointment, will bring the action with backing from IMF.

The claim will allege that $5.4 million of trust money was paid to Mr Perrin in January 2009 to be used to invest in a convertible note in a Mauritius-based company that owned interests in Chinese supermarkets.

The money was supposed to be protected by a guarantee and put option given by Mr Perrin and his company, Christie Qld. However, the payment was not invested in the convertible note, and the investors' money is gone.

Two months later, Mr Perrin, who was once on the BRW rich list, declared himself and two of his private companies bankrupt, citing a disastrous Chinese shopping venture, Global Mart.

The vision was to build a retailing empire to capitalise on the growing strength of the Chinese consumer. But less than a year after taking over a string of supermarkets, convenience stores and shopping malls, the dream was in tatters and Mr Perrin’s estimated $150 million fortune had disappeared. Recurring fraud and deception, with deposits mysteriously disappearing from trust accounts, have been cited as reasons for the collapse of Global Mart.

Mr Perrin had attracted an eclectic group of investors, including failed investment bank Babcock & Brown and companies run by two of former HIH director Rodney Adler’s brothers-in-law.

In March last year, Mr Perrin declared bankruptcy, with personal debts exceeding $25 million, and with his two failed private companies owing more than $100 million. The bankruptcy documents showed Mr Perrin owed Commonwealth Bank $13.5 million and several corporate bookmakers were owed a combined $1.62 million.

He is due to resume the stand next week as part of a liquidator’s examination.

It is understood Mr Perrin is not included in the IMF-backed lawsuit as he has no assets to recover. Though Ms Barbato is also in bankruptcy, and the trust and administrator have no assets, they are covered by insurance.

IMF investment manager Tania Sulan said IMF was "pleased to be able to fund this claim to obtain a return for the trust’s 100-odd investors in circumstances where, without litigation funding, it is unlikely that the claim could be pursued".

Papers are expected to be filed with the Federal Court soon.

Most teams just pick up the tab, eat as team etc, even after training quite often supply food.

At least we have 4K McCarron who is elite at applying for player payments from the NBLPA

Surely no business is going to create a negative publicity storm like this and upset key staff (players) morale to possibly save $22 as it would be a principle thing for the players.

Could checking which entitlements are valid with ATO actually be confirming they aren't breaching any ATO rules for example creating FBT issues to avoid either party getting whacked by ATO? It suggests they asked the NBL something before going to ATO, could it be this?

It doesn't make sense on many fronts, ruining team morale or being able to recruit in the future, so surely there is some explanation

It took them six months to get confirmation from the ATO, and it just coincidentally came through ten minutes after a journo reached out to them for comment on the story they were writing about the situation. Makes perfect sense.

Yep we are a basket case. Come play for the 36ers. What are we doing.

https://download.asic.gov.au/media/1299637/017029212.pdf

Not a great track record of following the rules....

Interesting career path, ignore AFSL rules and then become a career CEO.

A fish rots at the head. Fractured club

The article kind of suggests this incidentals' allowance might be a new thing? It states "...an incidental entitlement which was included in the new CBA."

The article reads that the entitlement is for reimbursement of eligible costs actually incurred, based on receipts submitted by the players. It also refers to player(s) trying to use it to claim the cost of buying new shoes, which is clearly not an incidental cost. All of this sounds like it might be a new entitlement and both players and management were slow to understand they needed to decide what things should be eligible and what not. I wouldn't expect the players to be that smart but management should have been ready for this once the CBA was signed.

Anyone know if this was part of the old Agreement?

That is a very good question, I was wondering the same thing.