Perth Voice Interactive

WACA board member Paul Collins has been returned to his usual board duties, but with no concession from the WACA that his two-month “suspension” has been retracted. 

Mr Collins received a letter from the WACA on January 4 which he says “purported to provide a no

tice of suspension of both my membership of the WACA and my position as a director of the board of the WACA” (Voice, January 20, 2024).

He says it followed an investigation into his public critiques of the direction the WACA development was taking, including the decision not to include urinals in the men’s toilets as an equality measure.

A split board had voted in favour on the suspension. The WACA board is made up of appointed members and member-elected members like Mr Collins, and there’ve been a few tiffs in recent years.

The WACA brass has been reluctant to weigh in while a legal challenge is pending: The only reason for sending the notice we’ve been able to get out of the WACA was that it came about “following an investigation into his behaviour”. There was no further detail on what behaviour that was in their response to us last month, beyond a denial that the notice related to Mr Collins’ public critiques. 

Mr Collins describes it as a “purported suspension” as he said he received legal advice that the suspension is illegitimate, and he quickly prepared a legal challenge.

A gofundme started on January 22 to bankroll the legal fight currently sits at $7,831.

Mr Collins has been reserved about speaking publicly while the legal action is brewing, but this week he issued an update via his public social media page saying that he is back attending board meetings.

“On Thursday, 25 January 2024, a letter was sent to all directors informing them of my legal grounds of review and the reasons why the purported suspension issued on 4 January 2024 was invalid,” Mr Collins wrote this week.

Later “that same night I received a reply from WACA’s solicitors, a notice of meeting inviting me to attend the 30 January board meeting and a copy of the board papers.”

He also noted his director photo and profile, which had been taken off the WACA website in January, had now been restored.

Mr Collins told the Voice he’s now attended two board meetings as usual. 

While still refraining from delving into the legal details, Mr Collins told us he issued the public statement “out of frustration” that media outlets were still referring to him as “suspended”, which he says was an invalid claim – as now evidenced by him continuing to attend board meetings. 

No letter from the WACA lifting the “suspension” of his membership has been issued, and Mr Collins is seeking “a timely corrective statement to be issued to members, inclusive of an apology to me”.

“If this matter cannot be resolved then I am entitled to protect my legal rights and interests and seek appropriate remedies from a court”.

Mr Collins said he’ll donate any unused gofundme money to the Lord’s Taverners Association WA, which helps young cricketers facing inequality to play the game.

by DAVID BELL