Radical Plan for Racecourse
Andrea Kellett
Caulfield Racecourse Reserve is set for a dramatic shakeup. The new chairman of the reserve’s board of trustees, Glen Eira councillor Jim Magee, has vowed to end racing’s stranglehold on the land and return it to the people. He also wants to make the board “more accountable” and end the days of “secrecy” surrounding management of the crown land.
“The racecourse belongs to you and me not the MRC”, he said last week. He is also looking to increase the Melbourne Racing Club’s annual rent on the reserve land from $77,000 to a “more realistic” $1 million and phasing out training at the racecourse.
“I will put together a licensing agreement for what the centre of the racecourse can be used for and as part of that I want to see more public access and the moving of training from the racecourse” he said.
He has sought legal advice about changing the way the board of trustees operates, including making meetings open to the public.
Cr Magee intends to hold a board meeting next month where he will call for a vote on many of the changes.
Melbourne Racing Club spokesman Jake Norton said the club did not wish to comment.
PS: LEST WE FORGET!!!!!!
From the minutes of 15th March 2011
Crs Penhalluriack/Forge
That Council invites authorized representatives of the Melbourne Racing Club to meet with Councillors to discuss future arrangements, including timetables, for the sharing of the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Crown Land. The Mayor shall open the meeting and introduce Councillors Forge and Magee who shall explain, using overheads, Council’s position. The meeting shall then be open for all Councillors and MRC representatives to contribute. The meeting shall be minuted.
DIVISION
Cr Penhalluriack called for a Division on the voting of the Motion.
FOR AGAINST
Cr Penhalluriack Cr Pilling
Cr Forge Cr Tang
Cr Magee Cr Esakoff
Cr Lobo Cr Lipshutz
Cr Hyams
On the basis of the Division the Chairperson declared the Motion LOST.
Crs Lipshutz/Hyams
That Council authorize Andrew Newton, Chief Executive Officer, Cr Margaret Esakoff, Mayor, Cr Michael Lipshutz, Chair of the Caulfield Racecourse Precinct Special Committee and Cr Jim Magee, member of the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust, to meet with representatives of the Melbourne Racing Club to put Council’s position in relation to the improvements to the centre of the Racecourse, after which they will report back to Councillors promptly and in detail. Any decisions would be made by Council resolution.
The SUBSTANTIVE MOTION was put and CARRIED.
Glen Eira Debates 
July 24, 2012 at 9:28 AM
vote Jim Magee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow this is great news. cant believe leader is reporting this. Cant wait for the gang and other pollies to come out saying how great the racing industry is and how it benefits the real community when any sane person knows it is a rich persons minority publicly funded sport that causes misery for the poor people who gamble. I know this is a political move but does this mean that there is a general feeling in the community that we are rather p****d off by the free ride the MRC is been getting and politicians are starting to get the message. Prediction this article will receive more comments on glen Eira wordpress than any other/
July 24, 2012 at 9:43 AM
Wish I could share your optimism fan club, but don’t forget that Magee’s got 3 votes with other councillors compared to 12 or 13 with the other stooges on the trustees. He can rant and rave as much as he likes, they won’t do anything unless they’re forced to or its in their best interests. I don’t even see the point of having any councillors on such a board.
July 24, 2012 at 9:33 AM
What a shame that journalism and amnesia appear to go hand in hand. This “radical plan” has been talked about for over ten years. Removing training has been on the agenda for even longer. Now here it is again. The other crying shame is that the lackeys in Newton, Hyams, Pilling, Lipshutz and Esakoff were also suffering from severe bouts of amnesia when they signed away everything to the mrc with their despicable “agreement”. The horse has literally bolted and it’s not back to the future but more of the past. Empty grandstanding and weak kneed councillors desperately trying to convince us that they give a damn. I’m sure the MRC is all a quiver with fear and trepidation and on the phone right now to their state mates in parliament.
July 24, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Story in the Leader says that property values in East Caulfield have dropped by 30 percent. Maybe when the MRC gets anywhere near paying a million dollars they can also compensate the locals in the area for c60 and council can give them free rates for the rest of their lives like they’ve been doing for the mrc.
July 24, 2012 at 10:47 AM
Caulfield East would only have about 100 houses in it, Not a really reliable statistic. Also hundreds of slum apartments that have been put up in Dudley Street would skew the apartment price. I spose the MRC slums will be marketed as North Caulfield to attract the Jewish community so this may affect that suburbs price.
July 24, 2012 at 11:08 AM
What none of you realise is that this land is owned by the State Government , not Council nor any of it;s meglamaniacs. Racing is a major Victorian Industry and Caulfield one of the industries most important assets.Magee is a fool if he thinks he can threaten the Racing Industry. The Trust represents the Victorian Government,not Glen Eira. By the way what you also don’t realise is that many thousands of Glen Eira citizens are associated in many different ways with the MRC.
July 24, 2012 at 11:28 AM
Always good to hear the MRC’s opinion on things! It is a major industry that requires government handouts and only survives on the misfortune of others. It is actually a minority support. Pokies are a big industry but we would all be much better off without them both. If thousands of gamblers lose there family home to make some rich horse owners richer really is this an industry we should be supporting?
July 24, 2012 at 12:11 PM
Welcome back Anon – once more with your outlandish comments about thousands of Glen Eira citizens being associated with the race course.
As requested many times in the past when you have previously made this preposterous claim, please state your sources and the actual statistics.
July 24, 2012 at 11:49 AM
The MRC have successfully ignored this council for over a decade. In fact they’ve ignored all councils for over a 100 years. The only difference between this current council and those of the past is that the appropriate noises have occasionally been made but the deals remained in place with the full support of Special Committees and administrators. I don’t see anything changing unless the state government suddenly decides that the bad publicity they’ve been receiving of late is sufficient to engender some reform or concessions.
In agreeing to the c60 and the redevelopment of the racecourse the gang has basically saddled the community with an environmental and legal mess. Lipshutz and his lapdogs need to contact their Liberal mates in order to save some face and to ensure that the community receives at least some tit-bits that are left over from the slice of the mrc pie.
July 24, 2012 at 12:38 PM
Here we go again – this stuff was first raised in 2002 – since then every 2-3 years out comes the promises of removal of training, the payment of commercial rates for the land use and opening up the centre for the residents. Nothing, nada, zip, squat happens because the state govt doesn’t enforce it and Council doesn’t advocate on the residents behalf. The last time all this stuff was raised was in 2009 when it was used to justify C60.
The one difference this time is that a 10 year time frame (required to achieve all this and which usually accompanies this announcement) isn’t mentioned or should I say isn’t “yet” mentioned. 10 years on from the initial announcement and they are still looking at the drawing board.
July 24, 2012 at 12:41 PM
Perhaps this is an opportune time to request an update on the “new park” that was supposed to be part of the infamous C60 land swap – the MRC got the triangle but, 3 years on all the residents have as a “new park” is cycloned fenced weed heap.
July 24, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Thank you for jogging my memory Glen Eira. How any councillor could vote against the Penhalluriack and Forge motion is beyond me. Then they’ve got the affront to claim that their respresenting residents. They should never ever be allowed to call themselves councillors ever again. I’m imploring people to vote them out so that Hyams can go down in history as the first mayor not to retain his position.
July 24, 2012 at 3:10 PM
Unfortunately Hyams is in Tucker isnt he. Havent they got a brand spanking new swimming pool (miles from anyone else) plus lots of money spent on parks. I am guessing people would be happy with that.
July 24, 2012 at 4:04 PM
Tucker and Ross Town have got the worst over development anywhere – thank you to you know who. I’m not too sure that the people in Gardner’s Rd near gesac would be voting for this bloke either or any who live along or near East Boundary Rd. Just wait until the clover estate is up and running and you wouldn’t be caught within a mile of this area. The grapevine is abuzz with the whisper that he won’t be standing in Tucker anyway but getting close to his Maid Marion in Ross Town.
July 24, 2012 at 11:58 PM
Tucker and Rosstown are about to be eclipsed in the overdevelopment stakes by Caulfield North (the Pheonix Precinct developments) and the Elsternwick area is just open slather (except where Newton lives). Not to mention the housing diversity areas (which includes those former significant character areas that were recenly exorcised via C87) scattered through out the municipality.
My advice to anyone thinking of buying a property (with the intention of living it) in Glen Eira is to look elsewhere or find out where the Crs. and the Senior Admin live – but don’t even think about adding a second storey to it or financing your purchase by intensifying the no. of residential dwellings on the lot.
The only hope for Glen Eira is that the recent economic downtown predictions for Melbourne come to fruition – relying on this Council (Crs. and Admin.) to represent your intestests will not do it.
July 24, 2012 at 4:55 PM
The voting record alone should be enough to sink him and his friends. History doesn’t lie and in everything they’ve done they’ve contributed to the poor governance of this council. For starters we should remember the c60, then the centre of the racecourse. Go further back and there’s the vote against the Notice of Motion and removing the public questions policy from the local law. Hawthorn Rd heritage property is another doozy. Mustn’t forget a couple of dodgey applications that got through as well as the final straw that should break their back – reappointing Newton!
July 24, 2012 at 6:44 PM
Ya forgot the Lipshutz councillor gag that he got through on the second attempt this time with the help of his shadows. All of them deserve the boot.
July 24, 2012 at 4:34 PM
More happy customers from the Online Leader –
Michael Bolte writes:
Posted on 24 Jul 12 at 03:20pm
When are the improvements agreed by Glen Eira Council, the Baillieu government and the Melbourne Racing Club around the racecourse going to start? 18 months since Council approved the development and the community is still waiting for the improvements. Maybe that is why Caulfield East property prices have fallen 30%.
Micheal writes:
Posted on 24 Jul 12 at 12:54pm
What an absolute joke. The Council and Government handed the MRC the land for the $750 million development, about to start on the crown land and parking area near the main entrance. No we are going to get served up a few token gestures about access to the centre. Where was all this community representation during the MRC building proposal, which includes 20 story buildings?
July 24, 2012 at 4:46 PM
I’ve been re-reading the Lipshutz Hyams motion and it’s just dawned on me that the terms of the resolution had nothing to do with “negotiations” which became the excuse for the eventual cave in. All the motion is doing is telling the MRC about “council’s position”. It doesn’t say one word about compromise, surrender, and the ultimate acceptance of what the MRC dishes up.