The National Rugby League "remains defiant," despite the Canterbury Bulldogs' "salary cap mismanagement," that its constituent clubs "must be responsible for their own projections of payments to players." Rugby League Central believes "it is not incumbent on its management to red flag clubs when registering long-term contracts that will inevitably cause a club to exceed the salary cap." The Bulldogs, "encouraged by voracious agents to sign high-profile players to big-money deals, are effectively shut out of the player market for the next couple of seasons" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 5/21).
Taxpayers will be "lumped with a multimillion-dollar bill" to cover the costs of more than 250 Commonwealth Games athletes and officials who have refused to leave Australia. More than five weeks after the event ended, Border Force officials are "scouring the country to find 50 people who have disappeared since lapping up the Gold Coast's hospitality." Another 205 have told authorities they want to stay in Australia, "with the vast majority handed temporary protection visas which allow them to stay for three years and receive welfare benefits" (HERALD SUN, 5/21).
