Dozens of jobs axed in $40 million Cricket Australia shake-up
Cricket Australia has shed 40 jobs, cut all bonuses for senior management, rejigged its pathways program and halted Australia A tours as it looks to get back onto a firm financial footing.
The governing body, which on Tuesday removed Kevin Roberts and installed Nick Hockley as interim chief executive, has briefed staff about how it plans to slash costs by approximately $40 million over the next financial year.
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Hockley briefly addressed all CA staff, who were told their fate by department managers earlier on Wednesday, before fronting a press conference.
Some 200 workers were stood down by Roberts in April, when he cited fears the organisation would run out of money by August.
Redundancies have long been considered inevitable, but questions remained over how many jobs would go as the organisation braced for its revenue to take a hit because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CA said in a statement that the "positive impact of the JobKeeper program and an increasingly improved outlook for the season ahead have been recent factors considered in arriving at this final number (40)".
The organisation has vowed to reduce budgets in "administration, travel, marketing and advertising", cut bonuses for senior management and implement ongoing executive pay reductions.
Domestic cricket has been left untouched, with CA shelving plans to trim the length of the Sheffield Shield and women's Big Bash League.
But all Australia A tours and Cricket Australia XI fixtures have been paused.
Cuts represent a ‘difficult day’ for CA
The national second XI competition is also on ice, as are programs for under-15 (male and female) and under-17 (male) representative teams.
"We recognise that this is a difficult time for Cricket Australia employees, particularly for those staff members affected by these redundancies and their families," CA chairman Earl Eddings said in a statement.
"However, our responsibility is clear.
"To navigate a path for cricket through this period of uncertainty and disruption to ensure we come out the other side sustainable in the short term and prosperous in the long term."
Hockley described Wednesday as a "a difficult day for cricket".
"But by pulling together and with more positive signs for the upcoming summer, the Australian cricket family can emerge from this pandemic stronger," he said.
