The Hon. Matthew Guy MLC

Minister for Planning

Level 7

1 Spring Street

MELBOURNE VIC 3000

Dear Minister,

I am writing to express my concerns about the administration of the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve and the lack of public recreation space available in the Glen Eira area.

According to the City of Glen Eira, despite the lack of public space in the municipality, there is large amount of unused public space available at the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve.

You would be aware that the reserve is Crown Land and currently administered by the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust.  The reserve was granted to the people of Caulfield for the provision of not just a racecourse but also for a public recreation ground and a public park.  However, while the racecourse is well provided for by the Trust, the other purposes are not.

It is the responsibility of the Trust to ensure that the reserve is set aside for the public enjoyment and use of the people of Victoria, particularly those in the local area.  However, the current structure of trust does not allow for good governance and accountability in administration of this public land.  In particular, I am concerned that six of the positions on the Trust are filled by members of the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC), which is a tenant of the reserve, and that those trustees may experience a conflict of interest between their roles with the MRC and their duties as trustees.

Therefore, I ask that you take action to ensure the integrity of the Trust.  Given that the Trust is responsible for approximately $2billion of public land, the Victorian Auditor General should be its Auditor. To ensure that the Trust is currently operating effectively, the Auditor General should conduct a performance audit immediately.

Furthermore, all bodies that manage Crown Land should comply with the Guidelines for Committees of Management of Crown Land, which are provided by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

Crown Land is reserved to benefit all members of the public.  However, the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve is currently used for commercial purposes including a successful Tabaret. Nearly all income from the use of this public land accrues to a non-public body.  The people of Caulfield and Elsternwick would be better served, in my view, if any non-core activities are charged a commercial rent and money reinvested into the provision of not just the racecourse, but also the other mandated purposes, a public recreation ground and public park.

I note that the Victorian Parliamentary Select Committee of the Legislative Council on Public Land Development in its final report in September 2008 found that, “The Caulfield Racecourse Reserve profits to the Melbourne Racing Club have been disproportionately directed to racing users, with inadequate provision for use of public park and recreation users as required by the original Grant,” and recommended, “That the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trustees direct a substantial amount from the profits made by the Melbourne Racing Club over many decades to the provision of public park and recreational facilities, including promotion of the public use of these facilities as recompense to the community.”

The City of Glen Eira has the smallest amount of public open space per capita of all Melbourne municipalities. In addition to this, it is predicted that the MRC’s C60 Development, on its freehold land across Station Street from the Racecourse Reserve, is projected to include 1500 dwellings. More effective use of the existing public land at Caulfield Racecourse Reserve can assist alleviating the open space problem in Glen Eira for current and future residents.  However, this is not possible until the current Trust structure is operating effectively, to ensure this an immediate performance audit will need to occur.

I would appreciate it if you would consider my concerns and get back to me at your earliest convenience.

 

Yours sincerely,

Michael Danby

Federal Member for Melbourne Ports

 

cc. The Hon. Ryan Smith MP