Off the Record: Lance Armstrong’s secret TDU contract to be revealed
IT’S been nearly 10 years, but South Australian taxpayers will finally soon learn details of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong’s secret TDU contract, Off The Record can reveal, along with a dirty dossier on Georgina Downer.
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SOUTH Australian taxpayers will finally learn details of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong’s secret Tour Down Under contract, we reveal this week, along with a dirty dossier on Georgina Downer, Liberal talks with a prominent Mayor, plus why Cory Bernardi is coy about his new treats.
Lance and the 10-year itch
THE answer to one of the state’s biggest mysteries will be solved — on March 31 next year.
We can reveal that’s when the decade-long confidentiality clause on the contract of drug cheat cyclist Lance Armstrong will finally expire and South Australian taxpayers will finally discover how much they paid to bring the disgraced peddler to town for the Tour Down Under.
Prior to the last election, now-Treasurer Rob Lucas promised to release the full details of the Armstrong contract. Post-election he found even the state’s treasurer didn’t have that power. Crown advice was that it was not possible to break the confidentiality provisions of the contract, even though Armstrong had subsequently been revealed as possibly the biggest cheat in the history of sport.
“It’s frustrating as all hell but the former government has wrapped this up as tight as a drum,’’ Lucas told Off the Record.
Armstrong undoubtedly made a splash when he raced in Adelaide. He struck up a friendship with former premier Mike Rann, was lauded by TDU director Mike Turtur and increased interest in the event.
There were rumours he was paid anywhere between $1 million and $2 million to participate in the TDU but these numbers have never been confirmed.
Armstrong first appeared in the 2009 TDU and his contract included a confidentiality provision that lasted 10 years. Hence, March 31, 2019 is the magic date when that agreement lapses.
But that is only for the first contract. How much Armstrong was paid to race in 2010 and 2011 will not be known until 10 years after those races finished as well.
So more information will be released on March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021.
It is believed there were no behavioural or “drug cheat” provisions in the Armstrong contract that would have rendered it null and void and if the information was released Armstrong would have the power to sue for breach of contract.
Grey cloud over Sam’s Lib plans
RUMOURS are swirling as thick and fast as the Port Augusta dust cloud about the future for the city’s mayor, Sam Johnson.
He was heir-apparent to Grey MP Rowan Ramsey but quit the Liberals to run third on the SA Best Upper House ticket at March’s state election.
Liberal sources say there have been talks about a reconciliation, part of a bid to curb the risk of Johnson running against Ramsey, either as an independent or for the Centre Alliance, at the next federal election.
Johnson said only that his “focus was on the great work Port Augusta is undertaking, winning the November mayoral election ... and debating whether to take up the challenge of Local Government Association SA president”.
Given The Nationals plan to relaunch in SA, that might give him another option for a Canberra career. Off the Record can reveal the National Party plans to “relaunch, rebuild and rebrand” itself in SA.
Dirty dossier on Downer
APTLY named “s**t sheets” are a tawdry, yet common, part of politics, even if they are rarely publicly acknowledged.
Therefore, it comes as little surprise that a dossier attacking Mayo Liberal candidate Georgina Downer is being circulated covertly.
The s**t sheet contains photos and the address of Downer’s Melbourne family home and links to several news reports, including some from Off the Record, which more than a year ago revealed her interest in contesting the federal seat once held by her father, Alexander Downer.
A reference to one report, from the Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window column, falsely implies Downer in 2016 referred to Adelaide as “the serial killing capital of the world”. Readers of that column know it is an, unfortunately, somewhat frequent reference by the authors to our state’s capital.
It’s probably just a coincidence but we noticed a state parliamentary speech by Mawson MP Leon Bignell contains some similarities to the Downer s**t sheet.
As an example, Bignell mentions the serial-killing quote, saying: “We have looked through the Financial Review and we cannot find any retraction. If someone attributed those sorts of quotes to me, I would be pretty upset and I would be trying to get a retraction. We need to find out from Georgina Downer whether she said those words.”
We left messages with Bignell, asking whether he was in any way quoting from or using a s**t sheet for his speech. He replied: “I was quoting from the Fin Review.”
Downer referred inquiries to state Liberal director Sascha Meldrum, who said: “Labor MPs are clearly backing (Rebekha) Sharkie in Mayo, because they’re counting on her to back Labor and (Bill) Shorten into Government if given the chance. We trust Mayo voters will reject this ‘Sharkie Labor Alliance’.”
Ochre-faced university VC’s welcome home
NEWLY invested Adelaide University vice-chancellor Peter Rathjen was left a little orange-faced during the gala ceremony to officially welcome him back to South Australia.
Powerbrokers including Governor Hieu Van Le, Deputy Premier Vickie Chapman, university chancellor and former governor Kevin Scarce, gathered at North Tce’s Bonython Hall, for the inaugural Town and Gown Gala Dinner.
During the Welcome to Country, Kaurna Elder Uncle Fred Agius smeared some ochre on Rathjen’s face, which he kept, a little awkwardly, throughout the formal ceremony.
Chapman’s entertaining speech, while mostly focused on the importance of higher education, contained an undeveloped reference to some mischief that she and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop got up to, as law students, at the university’s Ligertwood Building.
Other guests included former premier Lynn Arnold, deputy Labor leader Susan Close, former senator and beyondblue ambassador Mary Jo Fisher, along with husband, Free Eyre chairman and former Elders GM John Crosby.
Also there were former chancellors John von Doussa and Robert Hill.
Coy Cory’s new treats
AS a publican at Off the Record’s beloved former watering hole, Cory Bernardi was an excellent salesman.
Now, the Australian Conservatives Senator is flogging off stuffed koalas, stubby holders, “hardcore conservative” coffee mugs and five of his doubtless page-turning books at a new online shop.
“Thinking of a present for your fellow conservative, or even spoiling yourself?”, Bernardi enticingly declares in his latest weekly email to supporters.
Noticing the patriotic theme of many products, as befits a conservative, we asked Bernardi if the goods were Australian-made.
His reply: “No Australian was hurt in the establishment of our shop!”
Just like at King William St’s lamented Bernardi’s Bar, the proprietor (pictured there in 1995) has always been a little coy.
Jack’s back
AS the beneficiary of a decent parliamentary super scheme, former health minister Jack Snelling doesn’t necessarily need to rush to a new career.
But the former Labor frontbencher is keeping himself busy after retiring at the March state election — learning Latin, moving house, losing 10kg and setting up Aldgate-based Snelling Consulting. Snelling says he’s had some early talks with prospective clients for his consulting business but stresses it’s “early days”.
We’ve been told of lingering hostility toward Snelling, not only because of his record as Health Minister, but they blame him for losing the seat of Florey toindependent Frances Bedford. He’d tried to move there but angered Bedford, who quit Labor.
Our state’s right Royal wedding gift
A $5000 donation to outdoor intervention charity Operation Flinders has been made by the State Government as a Royal wedding gift to the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The charity, which aims to transform young people’s lives through world-leading, evidence-based remote, outback intervention programs, is a regular beneficiary of Premier Steven Marshall’s fundraising.
The Duke and Duchess requested gifts be made to charity. Protocol dictates that gifts are made after the nuptials.
Marshall’s annual Austerity Night is a fundraiser for Operation Flinders’ chapter in his Dunstan electorate and the Salvation Army’s Norwood corps.
Battle to save animals on the brink at Outback reserve
Conservationists are battling to save animals at an Outback reserve from the effects of the worst drought in recent memory, and have received a funding boost to redouble their efforts.
Country tradie to face court over incomplete work
A country tradesman will face the Elizabeth Magistrates Court over allegations he was not licenced and refused to refund money to clients.