RSL NSW’s Response to RSL & Services Clubs Claims

It has been brought to the attention of the RSL NSW Board that the RSL & Services Clubs Association has released a statement claiming that RSL NSW is acting unreasonably and in defiance of government recommendations around landlord-tenant relations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The RSL NSW Board rejects these claims and seeks to clarify that negotiations are ongoing, and on a 25 March communication to landlord sub-Branches, authorisation was granted to provide an immediate three month rent deferral while formal negotiations took place on a case-by-case basis.

RSL NSW sub-Branches, alongside RSL Clubs are part of the fabric of hundreds of local communities across the state, and RSL NSW does not want to see any forced to close permanently during these difficult and uncertain times. Like the RSL Clubs, RSL NSW and its sub-Branches have been heavily impacted by this pandemic.

The RSL NSW Board’s position is clear that any request for rent forgiveness (in lieu of deferral) must come to the Board as opposed to being determined solely between the local sub-Branch and club tenant. This is due to both the Board’s responsibility to ensure proper use of charitable funds, and to maintain oversight of the financial viability of all RSL NSW sub-Branches.

The RSL NSW Board would like to assure impacted clubs that it is fully committed to finding a solution that allows clubs to continue to operate into the future, and also ensures that RSL NSW can continue to deliver on its charitable purpose of respecting, supporting and remembering our veterans and their families.

ENDS

Media contact: Michael Green – mgreen@rslnsw.org.au – 0419 432 535