Indigenous footy funding cut by Adelaide City Council

The Crows charity foundation and its Indigenous carnival has been controversially snubbed by Adelaide City Council.

Crows indigenous players LR. Shane McAdam, Wayne Milera, Matthew Nicks (coach), Tariek Newchurch, Ben Davis pictured ahead of their clash against St Kilda at Adelaide Oval last May. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

The Crows charity foundation’s Indigenous footy carnival has been controversially snubbed by Adelaide City Council.

At its Tuesday night meeting, councillors rejected a recommendation from the administration that the foundation – effectively a charity – be given $20,000 to help fund the carnival in the council budget.

The Green/Left faction of the council instead redirected the money to Ending Period Poverty.

Dumping the Kumankga Cup funding was a motion moved by Cr Janet Giles, despite council also last night swinging support behind The Voice referendum.

Some councillors – who wanted to simply approve the rigorous process which led to staff recommendations – cried foul and said the foundation was not the wealthy organisation opponents pretended it was.

Cr Henry Davis argued it was contradictory to deny funding to an Indigenous football carnival when on the same night council voted to support The Voice to parliament referendum and to host a local government forum to promote the vote.

He rejected the comments of one councillor that the Crows had turned over $3.5 million in the last year, saying that was the club, not the charity body.

He objected to moves to “withdraw $20,000 in funding which was intended to facilitate reconciliation workshops’’ run by the foundation.

Adelaide city councillor Janet Giles. Picture: Facebook

“It is the Adelaide Crows Foundation, not the Crows itself. I do think that is a really bad look,” he said.

But Cr Giles promoted the “very worthy” work of Ending Period Poverty – which provides sanitary products for poor women – rather than the Crows as “a very large corporation” that could “probably fund itself for some of that work”.

“They (Ending Period Poverty) are one of the 16 that missed out on that funding,’’ she said.

“Cultural awareness one would think would be part of their (the Crows) core business.”

Cr David Elliott supported Cr Giles’ motion and said council funding for corporate bodies was “disgusting”.

He used as an example a recent grant to the ANZ Bank of $5000.

The council will review criteria in coming months for grants for large private corporations as a result of the debate.

The Crows charter of the foundation states: “The Adelaide Crows Foundation exists to use the Power of Sport to Engage, Enrich and Inspire the lives of children and youth in our Community”.

“Our three focus pillars are Community, Indigenous and Female Programs.

“Since the Foundation was established in 2005, almost $4m has been distributed to support those less fortunate via a host of charity programs.”

The Crows when contacted declined to comment.

The Indigenous carnival was the only funding recommendation overturned.

Funding in the current council round was agreed for; The Big Busk, Adelaide Youth Orchestras Inc, $15,000, Mercury Connections, Mercury CX, $15,000, 50 Years Proud: Pride March and 50 years of Pride in Adelaide, Pride Adelaide, $13,000, Barista Training Program, The Gold Foundation, $12,500, Inclusive Archery – A Sport for All, $12,500, and Culture Club – Accessible Location Guides, Access2Arts, $12,500