Essendon CEO Andrew Thorburn has quit the role barely 24 hours after being appointed.
The former boss of NAB, who quit that role in 2019 following scathing claims in the banking Royal Commission, took the job at Tullamarine on Monday.
But it’s since been revealed Thorburn is the chairman of the controversial City on a Hill church, which holds anti-gay and anti-abortion stances described as “absolutely appalling” by Victorian premier Dan Andrews.
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Essendon said on Tuesday evening it found the church’s views in “direct contradiction to our values as a club” and that Thorburn could not hold that role as well as the CEO job.
In turn Thorburn quit Essendon.
“As soon as the comments relating to a 2013 sermon from a pastor, at the City of the Hill church came to light this morning, we acted immediately to clarify the publicly espoused views on the organisation’s official website, which are in direct contradiction to our values as a club,” Essendon president Dave Barham said.
“Essendon is committed to providing an inclusive, diverse and a safe club, where everyone is welcome and respected.
“The Board made clear that, despite these not being views that Andrew Thorburn has expressed personally and that were also made prior to him taking up his role as Chairman, he couldn’t continue to serve in his dual roles at the Essendon Football Club and as Chairman of City on the Hill.
“The Board respects Andrew’s decision.
“We are deeply committed to our values and support wholeheartedly the work of the AFL in continuing to stamp out any discrimination based on race, sex, religion, gender, sexual identity or orientation, or physical or mental disability.
“I want to stress that neither the board nor Andrew was aware of the comments from the 2013 sermon until we read about them this morning. I also want to stress that this is not about vilifying anyone for their personal religious beliefs, but about a clear conflict of interest with an organisation whose views do not align at all with our values as a safe, inclusive, diverse and welcoming club for our staff, our players, our members, our fans, our partners and the wider community.
“Acting CEO Nick Ryan will continue in his role whilst we commence the process to appoint a new CEO.”
Many Bombers fans including City of Port Phillip deputy mayor Tim Baxter handed in their memberships in the wake of Thorburn’s appointment.
“As a bisexual man I cannot feel welcome in this club. @essendonfc your decision, when the club has desperately needed a solid, uncontroversial path forward, has instead ripped the club back to the dark ages, and alienated your members,” he wrote.
Victorian premier Dan Andrews said on Tuesday: “There are many reasons to be a somewhat disappointed Essendon supporter,” he said.
“I don’t want to make light of this but I don’t appoint the CEO of the Essendon footy club or the CEO of any footy club. That’s a matter for the board.”
He added: “Those views are absolutely appalling. I don’t support those views, that kind of intolerance, that kind of hatred, bigotry. It is just wrong.
“To dress that up as anything other than bigotry is just obviously false.”
Thorburn did not clarify his own views on abortion or homosexuality in an interview on SEN Breakfast, claiming the church’s views needed to be respected.
“I’m not a pastor. My job in a governance role is to make sure it’s run well. I don’t always agree with what’s said, but in a way that’s not the point,” he said.
“If you want a diverse society it also means there’s going to be people with different views. And I think as we go forward in Australia, it’s not whether those views exist – because they do – the question for harmony is whether we can coexist and hear each other and respect each other’s views. It’s that point around ‘I disagree with what you say, but I defend your right to say it’.
“I think people forget the church does a lot of great things for disadvantaged people to help them – it still plays an important role in the community. It‘s a diverse group itself, not everyone holds the same view.”
A 2013 sermon on homosexuality, still listed on the church’s website, reads: “Sex is designed for marriage, and marriage for fulfilling God’s mandate for humans to ‘be fruitful and multiply’. The Torah condemned the practice of homosexuality so that Israel would stand out among the nations.
“Through Christ, who fulfilled the law, we enter a new law of grace, where struggle is not a sin, but we are told to flee sexual immorality and glorify God with our bodies.
“The Bible never calls same-sex attraction a sin. Lust is a sin, sex outside of marriage is a sin, practiciing (sic) homesexuality is a sin, but same-sex attraction is not a sin.
“The Christian walk is one of struggle with sin yet in the gospel we can find forgiveness and grace. We ought to find our true love, satisfaction, and acceptance in Jesus.”
