Shane Warne Foundation
Shane Warne Foundation was an Australian not-for-profit organisation founded in 2004[3] by former cricketer Shane Warne. The organisation closed in 2017 following a regulatory investigation and controversy over its finances.[4]
| Formation | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Shane Warne[1] James Packer Lloyd Williams Lee Amaitis David Coe John Ilhan |
| Dissolved | 2017 |
| Headquarters | South Yarra, Victoria |
Chairman | Shane Warne |
| Shane Warne Anne Peacock Glen Robbins Andrew Bassat | |
Revenue | $465,000[2] |
| Website | http://www.tswf.com.au/ |
History edit
Warne founded the charity in 2003, with the intention of assisting "seriously ill and underprivileged children and teenagers". Dermott Brereton appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice Australia (season 3) in 2013[5] and raised $294,687 for the charity. During 2015, Barry Hall appeared on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and was runner-up, with his charity being the Shane Warne Foundation.
People edit
Past members of the Board
- Lydia Schiavello
- Glenn Robbins
- Andrew Bassat
- John Ilhan
- James Packer
- Lloyd Williams
- Garry Lyon
- Ray Martin
- Eddie McGuire
The charity also had a number of patrons and ambassadors, including Fifi Box, Dermott Brereton, Michael Clarke, Nick Riewoldt, Liz Hurley, Russell Crowe and Karl Stefanovic.
Difficulties and closure edit
Consumer Affairs Victoria commenced an investigation in 2015 into the Foundation after it failed to submit financial returns. Financial returns in 2014 had revealed the charity spent $281,434 on fundraising during the year, but its efforts only raised $279,198. Newspapers alleged that the organisation was only donating 16 cents on the dollar of its income.[6][7] During one year, the Chief Executive of the Foundation, Shane Warne's brother Jason, was paid a salary of $80,000, whilst only $54,600 was distributed to beneficiaries. The organisation spent more than $300,000 on catering, alcohol and prizes for events while posting significant annual losses.
In January 2016, in response to what it termed "unwarranted speculation", the Foundation announced its intention to distribute its final funds on 18 March 2016 and close down.[8][9]
References edit
- ^ . Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ "The Shane Warne Foundation, charity review". Businessbythebook.com.au. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ Houston, Chris Vedelago, Cameron (11 January 2017). "Shane Warne shuts charity to avoid potential deregistration". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Celebrity Apprentice stars face off". The Australian.
- ^ Michael Safi. "Shane Warne Foundation announces closure after speculation over funds". The Guardian.
- ^ Sandra van der Laan (23 November 2015). "Shane Warne Foundation a wake-up call for charities regulator". The Conversation.
- ^ "The Shane Warne Foundation Shuts Down Following Audit Announcement From Consumer Watchdog". The Huffington Post. 29 January 2016.
- ^ James Riach. "Shane Warne attacks critics as his charity closes amid investigation into finances". The Guardian.