Latest news with #RSLVictoria
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The RSL survival guide: A new model emerges for an old institution
Earlier this month, the RSL released a consultant's report, which found that some sub-branches were too small or poor to deliver meaningful services to veterans. The report said the state office was also struggling financially because of the increasingly complex demands of veterans, which encompass mental illness, housing, legal troubles and elder abuse. And it warned RSL Victoria was overly reliant on revenue from its 52 pokies venues, which are at risk from the state government's long-awaited gambling reform package. 'Financially, the current state is fragile and not sustainable. However, without a viable state branch, the sub-branch network will cease to exist,' the report said. It recommended forcing sub-branches to hand over more revenue to the state RSL office. The charity should also increase engagement with younger veterans, solicit bequests from current members, and switch from an incorporated association to a company limited by guarantee, the report said. RSL Victoria's new president, Mark Schroffel, has thrown his weight behind the report, although discussions with sub-branches regarding funding and the future of venues are just beginning. 'We need to have their support because ultimately, it's their organisation,' Schroffel said. Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett is a member of the amalgamated Camberwell 'Pompey' Elliott RSL sub-branch in Melbourne's east, which has a car wash to boost revenue. He said RSL Victoria faced a 'massive challenge to remain relevant' to younger generations. 'The RSL, does it have a future? Yes. But unless they're careful, the number of branches will continue to decline,' he said. 'We live in very different times, and as much as I hate to say it, I'm not sure the RSL has moved with the times.' At Coburg RSL, young reservist Johannes is not a member because he is busy working two jobs. He said he didn't expect to become heavily involved in the near future. 'I'm 100 per cent supportive,' he said. 'More broadly, things like country fire stations and Men's Sheds and those sorts of community groups – because this is a community group at the end of the day – the people who get involved are retired.' Beyond the report's recommendations, others say RSL Victoria should extend its memberships to police officers, paramedics and SES workers, get out of pokies and sell some sub-branches' land to councils. But Schroffel said the head office could not decide to sell off sub-branches to reinvest the proceeds. 'It's not our property,' he said. 'Those independent sub-branches, they and their members actually own those buildings.' Schroffel said membership fees could increase for the first time in 10 years, and RSL was open to selling its pokies venues, potentially to not-for-profit racing organisations. Martin Thomas, chief executive officer of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, said RSLs were designed to be a safe space for veterans and their families, yet international research showed veterans suffer a higher rate of gambling harm than non-veterans. 'With their new president, we would be calling on the RSL to start that change to remove pokies machines from their venues, or at the very least to be at the vanguard of a carded play system that we know from all the evidence greatly reduces the harm that happens,' he said. Journalist and anti-pokies activist Stephen Mayne said RSL Victoria's sub-branches were worth at least $1 billion, according to council valuations. Loading 'They should close all the pokies venues, sell off a few – Box Hill is worth $70 million on its own – and then live off their investments and all operate like Hawthorn, Camberwell and Templestowe and many other successful, traditional RSLs. Find yourself a benevolent council landlord and operate with the support of your council.' Peter Whitelaw is a member of the Melbourne sub-branch, the original RSL in Australia. The Spencer Street club is trying to attract young veterans with guest speakers, networking events, mentoring and co-working spaces. 'I think the primary thing that we are wrestling with is that the RSL is dominated by seniors, of which I am one, and there's got to be a generational change,' Whitelaw says. 'That's fundamental to the future of the RSL. 'Fundamental change has to occur on a number of fronts. One of those is really focused on getting younger veterans engaged with the RSL and carrying it forward.'
The Age
3 days ago
- Business
- The Age
The RSL survival guide: A new model emerges for an old institution
Earlier this month, the RSL released a consultant's report, which found that some sub-branches were too small or poor to deliver meaningful services to veterans. The report said the state office was also struggling financially because of the increasingly complex demands of veterans, which encompass mental illness, housing, legal troubles and elder abuse. And it warned RSL Victoria was overly reliant on revenue from its 52 pokies venues, which are at risk from the state government's long-awaited gambling reform package. 'Financially, the current state is fragile and not sustainable. However, without a viable state branch, the sub-branch network will cease to exist,' the report said. It recommended forcing sub-branches to hand over more revenue to the state RSL office. The charity should also increase engagement with younger veterans, solicit bequests from current members, and switch from an incorporated association to a company limited by guarantee, the report said. RSL Victoria's new president, Mark Schroffel, has thrown his weight behind the report, although discussions with sub-branches regarding funding and the future of venues are just beginning. 'We need to have their support because ultimately, it's their organisation,' Schroffel said. Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett is a member of the amalgamated Camberwell 'Pompey' Elliott RSL sub-branch in Melbourne's east, which has a car wash to boost revenue. He said RSL Victoria faced a 'massive challenge to remain relevant' to younger generations. 'The RSL, does it have a future? Yes. But unless they're careful, the number of branches will continue to decline,' he said. 'We live in very different times, and as much as I hate to say it, I'm not sure the RSL has moved with the times.' At Coburg RSL, young reservist Johannes is not a member because he is busy working two jobs. He said he didn't expect to become heavily involved in the near future. 'I'm 100 per cent supportive,' he said. 'More broadly, things like country fire stations and Men's Sheds and those sorts of community groups – because this is a community group at the end of the day – the people who get involved are retired.' Beyond the report's recommendations, others say RSL Victoria should extend its memberships to police officers, paramedics and SES workers, get out of pokies and sell some sub-branches' land to councils. But Schroffel said the head office could not decide to sell off sub-branches to reinvest the proceeds. 'It's not our property,' he said. 'Those independent sub-branches, they and their members actually own those buildings.' Schroffel said membership fees could increase for the first time in 10 years, and RSL was open to selling its pokies venues, potentially to not-for-profit racing organisations. Martin Thomas, chief executive officer of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, said RSLs were designed to be a safe space for veterans and their families, yet international research showed veterans suffer a higher rate of gambling harm than non-veterans. 'With their new president, we would be calling on the RSL to start that change to remove pokies machines from their venues, or at the very least to be at the vanguard of a carded play system that we know from all the evidence greatly reduces the harm that happens,' he said. Journalist and anti-pokies activist Stephen Mayne said RSL Victoria's sub-branches were worth at least $1 billion, according to council valuations. Loading 'They should close all the pokies venues, sell off a few – Box Hill is worth $70 million on its own – and then live off their investments and all operate like Hawthorn, Camberwell and Templestowe and many other successful, traditional RSLs. Find yourself a benevolent council landlord and operate with the support of your council.' Peter Whitelaw is a member of the Melbourne sub-branch, the original RSL in Australia. The Spencer Street club is trying to attract young veterans with guest speakers, networking events, mentoring and co-working spaces. 'I think the primary thing that we are wrestling with is that the RSL is dominated by seniors, of which I am one, and there's got to be a generational change,' Whitelaw says. 'That's fundamental to the future of the RSL. 'Fundamental change has to occur on a number of fronts. One of those is really focused on getting younger veterans engaged with the RSL and carrying it forward.'
The Age
08-07-2025
- General
- The Age
Century-old Kew RSL ordered to close over ‘failures in supporting veterans'
Kew RSL has been ordered to close by RSL Victoria over a slew of concerns, including its alleged failures in supporting veterans and their families, the charity says. In a statement on Monday night, the state RSL office said concerns for the reputation of the wider organisation influenced its decision to close the doors of the century-old sub-branch in Melbourne's east for a year. Kew RSL, founded in 1920, two years after World War I ended, is based at the stately Wilton House in Cotham Road, Kew. RSL Victoria's statement said issues the sub-branch committee had failed to address included 'not fulfilling the objects and purposes of the RSL in supporting veterans and their families'. Other issues included not having an elected committee and not abiding by the rules and by-laws of the RSL in the conduct of a sub-branch. RSL Victoria said it had given repeated notices to the sub-branch, informing it of its 'failure to meet its ongoing obligations'. 'A response received by RSL Victoria on 12 June 2025 failed to demonstrate that those concerns were being adequately addressed,' the statement said. 'Subsequently, RSL Victoria has suspended the charter of the sub-branch in accordance with the RSL rules.' RSL state president Des Callaghan said in the statement that the RSL Victoria suspension, effective for 12 months and during which it may further investigate, had been made reluctantly.
Sydney Morning Herald
08-07-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Century-old Kew RSL ordered to close over ‘failures in supporting veterans'
Kew RSL has been ordered to close by RSL Victoria over a slew of concerns, including its alleged failures in supporting veterans and their families, the charity says. In a statement on Monday night, the state RSL office said concerns for the reputation of the wider organisation influenced its decision to close the doors of the century-old sub-branch in Melbourne's east for a year. Kew RSL, founded in 1920, two years after World War I ended, is based at the stately Wilton House in Cotham Road, Kew. RSL Victoria's statement said issues the sub-branch committee had failed to address included 'not fulfilling the objects and purposes of the RSL in supporting veterans and their families'. Other issues included not having an elected committee and not abiding by the rules and by-laws of the RSL in the conduct of a sub-branch. RSL Victoria said it had given repeated notices to the sub-branch, informing it of its 'failure to meet its ongoing obligations'. 'A response received by RSL Victoria on 12 June 2025 failed to demonstrate that those concerns were being adequately addressed,' the statement said. 'Subsequently, RSL Victoria has suspended the charter of the sub-branch in accordance with the RSL rules.' RSL state president Des Callaghan said in the statement that the RSL Victoria suspension, effective for 12 months and during which it may further investigate, had been made reluctantly.
Perth Now
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Vets don't want Welcome to Country on Anzac Day: Dutton
The opposition leader has doubled down on his criticism of Welcome to Country ceremonies, claiming most veterans don't want them held on Anzac Day. Peter Dutton has placed himself in the centre of the debate surrounding their ceremonies after a small group of neo-Nazis heckled during a dawn service in Melbourne. He described Welcome to Country ceremonies as overused, days after Bunurong-Gunditjmara man Uncle Mark Brown was booed and jeered on Anzac Day. "There is a sense across the community that it is overdone," Mr Dutton said during the final leaders' debate of the federal election campaign on Sunday night. He repeated the criticism on Monday, adding that he believed Welcome to Country ceremonies should only happen at very significant events. When asked whether he would consider Anzac Day significant enough, he said: "No." "Listening to a lot of veterans in the space, Anzac Day is about our veterans," Mr Dutton told reporters from the campaign trail. "I think if you are listening to their sentiment, and we are respectful of that sentiment on Anzac Day, I think the majority view would be that they don't want it on that day." RSL Victoria president Robert Webster previously said the actions of the small group were "completely disrespectful" to the Aboriginal community, veterans and the spirit of Anzac Day. "In response, the spontaneous applause from the 50,000-strong crowd attending the service drowned out those who disrupted, and showed the respect befitting of the occasion," Dr Webster said. On its website, RSL Australia says it supports the acknowledgement of Country before official services on Anzac Day "in recognition of Indigenous Australians as the first peoples of Australia". Mr Dutton previously said he would not display the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at press conferences if he becomes prime minister, adding the country should be united under the Australian flag. Labor campaign spokesman Jason Clare suggested right-wing extremists were being allowed to lead the debate on Welcome to Country ceremonies. "This all spawned out of actions of neo-Nazis on dawn services last Friday," he said. A Welcome to Country ceremony was cancelled at a Melbourne Storm NRL game on Friday night following the earlier booing incident. Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin said she was left heartbroken when she was told she no longer needed to perform the ceremony. That decision was later reversed, but she said she was too upset to go on. Aunty Joy, whose father fought in World War I, said on Monday the long-held ceremony had been practised between communities for thousands of years. "It is a matter of respect," she said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the ceremonies as a mark of respect and said it was up to individual organisations to decide whether to include them at events. "People are entitled to their views, but we have the great privilege of sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth," he said.
