At last Council Meeting the MRC was sold just under 100 square metres of land for a song – as we stated in a previous post. Poor MRC! Our wonderful councillor gang took pity on this organisation and instead of getting some real returns for the community sold it at bargain basement prices of $140,000.
PS: We need to correct the above paragraph. The land has not been ‘sold’ as yet. There has to be the official advertisement and the call for submissions under the Local Govt Act requirements. We remind residents that they therefore have the opportunity to lodge an objection to the sale.
PPS: We’ve checked this week’s Caulfield and Moorabbin Leader as well as the ‘Public Notices’ section on council’s website and THERE IS NO ADVERTISEMENT APPEARING ANYWHERE CALLING FOR SUBMISSIONS ON THE SALE. Given that administrators have had a week to place the advertisement or put it up on their website, is this another instance of keeping the public ignorant, and therefore silent? Cloak and daggers, but deliberately orchestrated? Make up your own minds – plain ineptitude/incompetence or more sinister dirty tricks?
It’s therefore with great irony we read the following two notices. One is from yesterday’s Herald Sun, and the other is today’s Media Release from the Minister for Racing.
The Herald Sun article was about free entry to race meetings. Speaking about the MRC, Dale Monteith said” The MRC has something like 800 poker machines yielding about $50,000 per machine to fund its business model, we have $108…..The bottom line is no club other than the MRC can make proposals like this because we simply don’t have that revenue stream.” Yes, Lipshutz & co took real pity on this cash-strapped organisation and sold out for a measly $140,000!
Next there’s this official Media Release:
New Caulfield facility to help grow racehorse ownership
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
A bright and big new lounge facility is to be constructed at Caulfield Racecourse to greatly encourage racehorse ownership and help grow the racing industry.
Minister for Racing Denis Napthine said the new indoor/outdoor lounge facility, to be located in the former outdoor betting ring, will be open to racehorse owners and their guests, regardless of whether their horse is running on the day.
“There are 55,000 thoroughbred racehorse owners in Victoria. It is important to look after these investors in the industry and, most importantly, encourage new owners,” Dr Napthine said.
“The new venue will showcase the benefits of racehorse ownership and feature marquees, food and beverage stalls, racing vision and a stage for entertainment,” Dr Napthine said.
“The new owners’ lounge, a step up from the current cramped facilities, will make a major difference to the raceday experience to those who make an investment – small or large – in Victorian racing by buying and owning a racehorse.
“It is hoped that this new area will also entice owners to attend more race meetings and entice their guests to consider racehorse ownership, which helps to build on the economic benefits generated by the racing industry.”
Melbourne Racing Club Chief Executive Officer, Alasdair Robertson said the club is pleased to be partnering with the Victorian Coalition Government on this important project.
“Racehorse owners are so vital to the racing industry and its ongoing prosperity, so we are thrilled to be able to boost our level of service to owners through the development of a new facility at Caulfield,” Mr Robertson said.
Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners’ Association (TROA) Chairman Jonathan Munz welcomed the recognition of the role of racehorse owners across Victoria.
“Owners put on the show and need to be given the best possible raceday experience. We commend the Melbourne Racing Club and Coalition Government on acknowledging that and showing the initiative to introduce this new owners’ facility at Caulfield,” Mr Munz said.
As a further incentive, the club intends on expanding its hospitality package for Victorian Thoroughbred Owner Gold Card holders, by providing:
- owners with free access to non-feature meetings and half-price entry to feature meetings;
- half-price entry to guests to non-feature and feature meetings;
- free barbeque, beverage package and race book for owners and trainers on the day; and
- a selection of free finger food after the last race.Costs for this project have been shared between the Coalition Government, providing $120,000 from its Victorian Racing Industry Fund and the Melbourne Racing Club, contributing $136,285.
The MRC, in conjunction with TROA, will also contribute $100,000 per year to operate and maintain the new facility.
Glen Eira Debates 
September 19, 2012 at 9:13 PM
Only two possibilities are feasible here. Either our administrators and councillors who voted for the sale are total morons or, a nice little secret deal was worked out beforehand by those same individuals and the mrc. Regardless of what any property is valued at, what counts is the amount that someone is willing to pay for it. This strip of land is essential to the mrc’s grandiose plans. They in all probability would have been willing to pay a fortune in order to go ahead with these plans. That these councillors did not see this I doubt very much. I lean heavily towards the theory that everything was arranged previously to benefit the mrc. Residents? Well who cares. Newton and the gang certainly don’t.
September 19, 2012 at 9:54 PM
Just what we need. More racehorse owners and the potential for more horses to be permanently stabled at Caulfield. Getting rid of training was never on the to do list. It’s just about to expand.
September 19, 2012 at 10:23 PM
C60 was the opportunity to even up the balance between racecourse and reserve. Unfortunately Council had Lipshutz, Hyams, Esakoff, Pilling and Newton doing the negotiating. The MRC may have cheated and lied with the racecourse agreement but they were always going to do that especially when they knew that there was no implication if it was not followed. Lipshutz hasn’t even formed a meeting of the racecourse committee since the (MODERATORS: word deleted) approved C60 almost two years ago.
September 19, 2012 at 10:45 PM
FYI, those who voted in favour of selling the land for this pittance were the usual suspects –
Cr Lipshutz
Cr Pilling
Cr Hyams
Cr Esakoff
Cr Lobo
Penhalluriack voted against and Tang, Forge, and Magee had declared a conflict of interest as trustees!
September 20, 2012 at 6:40 AM
Give more to the MRC so that residents can have less is the new slogan for the gang. What happened to the racecourse agreement that was to have works completed by 27 April 2012? Same 4 Councillors. Same dud result.
September 19, 2012 at 10:57 PM
How could Tang, Forge, and Magee possibly diqualify themselves fRom voting on the salE of cheap land to a tenant of the land they don’t care about anyway? They seemed to shelter behind a technical term so as not have to vote. Quite simply the issue was selling land belonging to Glen Eira Council to the happy MRC and nothing to do with the trustees. But oh I suppose they were told how to perform again.
September 19, 2012 at 11:02 PM
There’s a trustee meeting on in a couple of days. Magee’s belated plans for more transparency and openness are about to bite the dust. My understanding is that as a candidate standing for council elections he can’t be a trustee. He’ll resign, they’ll appoint a new chairman and continue along in their merry way ripping off everyone and holding hands with Newton and his arse lickers. Whatever the plans were they were always doomed to fail. But at least Magee got himself some publicity. Trouble is he’s been a trustee together with Tang and Forge for years now and they’ve achieved absolutely nothing. I don’t see any point in councillors being on the trustees. It’s a waste of time and by continually declaring conflicts of interest which are a joke, they’re not even doing their jobs as councillors. Forget the trustees and do the prosyletising from the chamber floor. That would be the best move, not this continual useless grandstanding.
There would be more negative publicity if councillors refused to be trustees. That would hit the headlines for sure. This way it works to the mrc and Newton’s advantage. They can all claim that locals have been “represented” and like Southwick’s bullshit that the community concerns have been taken into account via the trustees.
Lipshutz, Hyams, Esakoff, Pilling and Lobo sold out for $140,000. Christ they’re a cheap lot.
September 19, 2012 at 11:30 PM
Even if the deadline for advertising was Friday for the caulfield paper and Monday for the bentleigh one that still gives Burke or whoever does it 3 full days to get the ad in. This is no accident or incompetence. It’s deliberate. You get no objections so it makes it dead easy to say sell. The less people know what’s going on suits Newton and the others right down to the ground. It doesn’t even explain why something can’t be up on the website in 5 minutes flat by 9am the next morning.
September 20, 2012 at 1:41 AM
I believe trustees are appointed by a govt. instrumentality like Ryan Smith, the minister, for life provided they are re-elected to council, so I am almost certain these three would not resign unless they were intending to resign from council. They all should after that abstinence from voting. I would have thought it was our right to have call councillors trying to obtain the very best price on our behalf to buy a house block in Est Caulfield area for the 10,000 residents, shoppers and office workers to sun bake on at lunch time as they do in Traqfalger Squatre LONDON..
September 20, 2012 at 1:45 AM
this might need to be a pretty large area if 55,000 race horse owners can all come whether or not their horse is running. WHAT A DEBACLE WE HAVE HERE!!!!!!1
September 20, 2012 at 6:44 AM
Notice that Council have closed Sir John Monash drive to build a tunnel under the road so that students can safely get to and from the station from the University. Well done Council. Finally some smart thinking.
September 20, 2012 at 7:28 AM
I think I might put in a higher offer for the land then sell it for 10 times more to my friends at the MRC!
So that is what that wooden construction is in the car park on Normandy/queens avenue car park. I wonder if they got planning or trustees permission, ha ha
September 20, 2012 at 9:22 AM
The MRC have the right to procedural fairness just as any landowner has. To do anything else would be discriminating. I suggest that many of the bloggers screaming for more money would consider themselves against discrimination. The law is equal for all. That’s how it works. Like it or not.
September 20, 2012 at 9:44 AM
Everyone has a right to “procedural fairness”. An owner has a right to refuse an offer if he believes the offer is insufficient, or more realistically he can get more. That’s what the free market is all about and that’s how market forces work regardless of the fact that there is only one interested purchaser.
I would also have thought that the onus is on council to get the best deal they possibly can for ratepayers. None of the dealings thus far with the MRC have achieved the best outcomes for residents. This in itself would qualify as discriminatory in that everything favours one side.
September 20, 2012 at 2:36 PM
Wrong. it is not the Councils job to skin the buyer. The Council sells small parcels of land to many ratepayers. Some are probably wealthy but this doesn’t mean that the price goes up. There would have been a valuation and the council will have used this as a guide. Just because you don’t like what the Council does it does not make it wrong. Politics of envy is kicking in. The Glen Eira council has been selling to residents for ages. Fact is that you were not taking any notice. free market forces are not in play in these cases. Maybe you will change your mind now that I have educated you.
September 20, 2012 at 12:28 PM
How about explaining how discriminatory it is for the mrc to get a whopping rate discount when normal John and Betty doesn’t?
September 20, 2012 at 2:39 PM
That is easy Colin. The answer is in the Local Gov. Act. You can read it on line. Very informative. Been happening the same way since 1860’s.
Good luck with the reading. One wouldn’t expect progressive’s (socialists) to agree with it.
September 20, 2012 at 3:06 PM
always good to hear from the anonymous MRC!
September 20, 2012 at 3:24 PM
Didn’t know I was a socialist. Always thought that I had a social conscience and when I see the benefits that are handed on a silver platter to the MRC and how little they give back in return I reckon that the uneven playing field should be levelled out a little bit. If that’s socialism then I’m pleased to be called a socialist. It’s not a dirty word by the way.
The MRC makes a fortune each year but we don’t get a look in because they can claim that the monies they’re meant to return to the community goes on watering the grass, mowing the grass and other such sundries. That’s pretty rich when for 150 years the place has mostly been off limits to residents. That’s what I call discriminatory as you’ve said earlier on. Then how about the argument that council is a business and if it can get more money for residents it should. The offer was made by the MRC or so we’re told. Wonder if our wonderful ceo and councillors even bothered to haggle over price or did they just bend down and kiss some more arse?
All the c60 is likely to bring in is around 5 million. That’s a pathetic return on the damage that this will do to thousands of people in the area for a duration of 10 to 15 years. I’d bet my life that other councils would have held out for much much more if they had an ounce of integrity and concern for their residents or just plain old common business sense. Not so in Glen Eira under Newton and his cobbers.
September 20, 2012 at 5:54 PM
You sound like an armchair expert so how about citing the relevant sections of the local government act where it forbids councils to get their money’s worth. Then we’d all be really educated!
September 20, 2012 at 9:29 PM
As the land is used for recreations purposes they are entiltled to a discount. As are Yarra Yarra Golf Club. Kingston and Bayside have many golf courses all giving discounts. There is no part of the Act that talks about getting ones money worth. Giving discounts to people that use land for recreational purposes sounds like a pretty progressive policy. Because some do it more efficiently that others is not taken into account. That is the Law. You can troll through the LGA yourself and you will become an expert just like me. Maybe all of these Councils are giving out discounts illegally. That would be a good story.
September 20, 2012 at 3:51 PM
Being Green isn’t easy. You are wrong. Other Councils would not have screwed the owner based on their capacity to pay. Put simply, they can’t. Our system of Government is not that progressive.
September 20, 2012 at 7:06 PM
What’s been conveniently forgotten in any of the announcements is that this enlarged function area is on crown land. The mrc will continue using crown land as if it’s all their own and reap the financial rewards without providing one cent back to locals. This has been going on for 150 years.
September 21, 2012 at 7:18 PM
I like the bit that the MRC now owns about 800 poker machines at the three racecourses and twelve or so pubs orofiting on average over $50,000 each and they pay Mr Bailieu only 25 cents in the dollar of their 40 million dollar profit because thay maintain the race course for the thirty per cent gambling tax concession. The owners of the Rosstown and Zagamies pay 33% in dollar tax as well as needing to own car park land and thence pay hefty land tax.. The MRC locks us out for most of the day, give us dark smelly tunnels which we are expected to share the same air with the horses and of course the diseases they carry.i And it would be questionable to ask if racing is a business or sport. Many earn their living from it as have m,any of my relations but they owned their own stables and did not lease stables on the course! Thw whole situayion is robbery of public land being aided and abbetted and encouraged by the council….
wsith no benefit to residents Why were we not asked if we wanted to purchase this site or even better still the councill coul have organised a land swap to proviode the weary shoppers and residents a seat in the sun on the north west corner of Heywood Street and Balaclava Road.