Essendon ‘didn’t know’ of church’s views

Former NAB chief executive Andrew Thorburn did not declare to Essendon that the church he chaired held controversial views that might be a concern for the Bombers before he was hired as chief executive.

And Essendon and their consultant Ernst & Young did not ask Thorburn about the religious views of the City on a Hill church that he chairs – which had included sermons that likened abortion rates to the Holocaust and urged same-sex attracted people to remain celibate – during his period as a candidate for the chief executive role, in what the club privately acknowledges was an oversight given the club’s values.

Andrew Thorburn’s tenure as Essendon CEO was short-lived.Credit:James Alcock

Sources familiar with Thorburn’s resignation situation confirmed that Thorburn, who had been brought to tears on Tuesday during talks about his future with the club, had considered stepping down as chairman of City on a Hill – but decided to resign from the position as Essendon CEO, after only one day, when the club board gave him a choice between those roles.

Essendon sources said that Thorburn had not flagged that his church chairmanship would be an issue before he was hired, while the club leadership and Ernst & Young, their consultant for the CEO search, had not quizzed the ex-NAB boss on the views of City on a Hill during the process of hiring him.

Thorburn’s church’s views on social issues and inclusion had not been the issue for the club, but that holding the leadership position of the church was deemed untenable if he was to be CEO of Essendon. Their position was endorsed by the AFL hierarchy.

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The decision, in effect, to force Thorburn to make a choice was made by president David Barham, with the backing of his board. Barham did not feel he needed to consult with the club’s AFLW coach or club sponsors prior to putting this choice to Thorburn, because he knew the club’s values were in conflict with the church’s past sermons on homosexuality.

The process for finding a CEO at Essendon had been led by three people in consultation with external advisors – Barham, board member and KPMG and ex-AFL executive Dorothy Hisgrove and Ernst & Young senior executive and ex-head of the Department of Health and Human Services Kym Peake, with Thorburn stepping down from the CEO search once he showed interest in the position. Thorburn had been managing the review of club operations run by Ernst & Young until he took over as CEO.

As the fallout from the Thorburn resignation – which came after his leadership role with City on a Hill was aired on social media and then in the media – continued on Wednesday, Essendon stressed that the club did not have any issue with conservative religious views and that Thorburn’s resignation was caused by a conflict of interest or clash due to his joint leadership positions.