Channel 2’s 7.30 Report will be featuring an item on the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve saga this Friday evening – ie 4th April. We believe that the focus of the story will involve:
- governance issues involving the Trustees & MRC
- conflicts of interest, and
- role of government
Glen Eira Debates 
April 2, 2014 at 11:56 AM
Again you have a total obsession with the Racecourse.It’s really boring.
April 2, 2014 at 12:11 PM
That’s your opinion anonymous. I for one will be watching.
April 2, 2014 at 12:25 PM
You need to have a read of this – http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/property-titles-and-maps/managing-crown-land/leasing-of-crown-land
April 2, 2014 at 4:07 PM
I find this issue very interesting, whats your thing?
April 2, 2014 at 12:19 PM
The Racecourse is owned by the State Government and whether you like it or not they can do what they want with it.Move on.
April 2, 2014 at 12:25 PM
The Racecourse is owned by you and me and every other person in Victoria and we want it back.
April 2, 2014 at 2:10 PM
Our schools, hospitals and roads etc. are all owned by the Government. They do what they want. You won’t be getting anything back.
April 2, 2014 at 2:28 PM
You may be right but unlike you most of us have not given up.
April 2, 2014 at 8:35 PM
As Newton puts it, if you don’t like it sell, there is always someone else that will move in.
April 2, 2014 at 12:39 PM
Managing Crown Land – Fact Sheet – Committees of Management and Reserved Crown Land
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/property-titles-and-maps/managing-crown-land/managing-crown-land-fact-sheets/managing-crown-land-fact-sheet-committees-of-management-and-reserved-crown-land
Types of Committees of Management
Committees of management can consist of locally elected or appointed citizens, a municipal council, statutory bodies or trustees.
Committee of Management Responsibilities and Good Practice Guidelines. Look at page 6
Click to access CoMGuidelines.pdf
April 2, 2014 at 4:41 PM
isnt the Friday one called stateline? Is this pressure being applied by labor?
April 2, 2014 at 6:19 PM
Magee doing a stunt before the state election.
April 3, 2014 at 11:45 AM
Magee needs to suck magee cubes. Is he aspiring to be a MP or grapes are sour that he is not one of the trustees who are doing a great job.
April 3, 2014 at 3:29 PM
Um how do you know they are doing a great job unless you have access to the minutes. And if you have access to the minutes it means you are a Trustee and your definition of a great job is therefore always voting in line with the MRC’s wishes
April 3, 2014 at 10:38 PM
The three trustees representing the council are performing well and are proud members of liberal party. Do they represent the people of Glen Eira is a 64 million question and the people need to ask them for an account.
April 4, 2014 at 9:06 AM
This comment is from one of the gang of 4. Any guesses?
April 3, 2014 at 2:16 PM
Is Magee standing as an independent in Caulfield?
April 3, 2014 at 4:57 PM
Every night when Jim puts his head on the pillow he goes into dreamland and is a State MP. This is as close as he will get to any Parliament.
April 4, 2014 at 10:13 AM
Hyams is that you?
April 4, 2014 at 12:24 PM
No it’s LOBO
April 2, 2014 at 8:06 PM
http://vicmps.greens.org.au/content/greens-motion-caulfield-racecourse-reserve
April 2, 2014 at 8:33 PM
In fairness to the Greens, this was before Pilling was appointed Mayor and they had the opportunity to actually do something rather than criticise labor and liberal.
April 4, 2014 at 9:03 AM
The Greens have messed up the country and are happy to sleep with anyone. Watch out the election results in November. Trust them not.
April 2, 2014 at 9:28 PM
A few years ago there was a photo published here of a park bench in the centre of the racecourse. It was symbolic of the care and attention that had been lavished on the public park after 150 years of MRC hegemony. Several years later, there is still no revenue stream to fund the on-going maintenance and enhancement of the public park, such as it is. In one sense it is not the MRC that is to blame though—it is the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trustees, dominated by the MRC, who have ensured the land has been maintained exclusively for the benefit of the MRC. In an election year it is highly appropriate to remind both Liberal and Labor of the governance mess they have created and fought to preserve.
April 2, 2014 at 9:36 PM
To this we might add the state of barbecues and toilets that a post several weeks back featured!
April 2, 2014 at 10:16 PM
What’s more Glen Eira the filthy ondition remained for days and the grass unmowed and added to this council said it was not responsible for the cleaning etc of the “Funny Park” This occurred after the whole area had been used by the union Christmas function days before and one would think a follow-up cleanup would have only been polite since the general public had been locked out.
April 2, 2014 at 10:30 PM
Another month of day and night circus sessions. Reckon the laughs on residents and council.
http://www.circuslatino.com/
April 3, 2014 at 11:55 PM
Southwick & today’s Hansard –
City of Glen Eira Crown land
Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield)—I rise tonight to raise a matter for the Minister for Environment and Climate Change in regard to Crown land located near the intersection of Glen Eira, Booran and Kambrook roads in Caulfield. I ask the minister to open up the land for expressions of public interest. The matter I raise is in regard to the land referred to as Crown allotment 2031 or Booran reserve. It was offered to the City of Glen Eira after a land swap with Melbourne Racing Club, proposed by the previous government in 2009–10. Since the land swap, the land has been left dormant, and recently the council advised that the development of the land for open space will not be supported under its new open space strategy.
The piece of land is effectively the doorway into the racecourse. The City of Glen Eira has been advocating for more open and active space and more participation, but this land has now been dormant for some years. It is a missed opportunity. I note that Glen Eira City Council has said it was not consulted by the Labor Party when the swap was suggested, but now that the land is Crown land I hope a suitable use will be found for this very important piece of land which is, as I said, a doorway into the racing club.
Many people in the council, particularly Cr Jim Magee, have advocated many times for open and more active space around the Crown land and the racecourse. I would have thought this would be a perfect opportunity to do so. With the council not being willing to take up this space and not being able to be the committee of management to activate the space, I ask that the minister consult with community members, sporting clubs and other organisations in the community to see who would be interested in taking up this vital and important piece of land.
Taking up this action would be a really good opportunity. Not only would it open up the opportunity for sport and other activities, a parkway, or whatever, within that place but ultimately it would be the link to any further activity that would take place within the racecourse itself. It is a valuable piece of land, and this is a great opportunity to utilise this piece of land that has been left idle for a long time now. It is important that we get on with doing something with this land so we can give the constituency of Glen Eira an opportunity—particularly the many sporting clubs that are screaming out for more space. I ask that the minister open up this matter for public consultation and expressions of interest from the public so that those in the community have the opportunity to apply their best thinking to how this land can be best utilised for the community and best service the city of Glen Eira.
April 4, 2014 at 12:45 AM
It is so very sad to watch the once beautiful, mature trees on this neglected plot of land die off.
April 4, 2014 at 7:49 AM
Shame he didn’t also mention 700 sqm of land running down the south side of the land that is currently used for stabling. Under the land swap swindle the MRC had 10 years to remove the stabling and rehabilitate the land as parkland (2009 + 10 = half the time has lapsed; yet nothing appears to have been done)
He also fails to mention that trees left, during the land clearing, are defined as being significant and are therefore a limitation on the land usage and that despite the police advising a park in this location (a busy irregular 4 road intersection (5 road intersection if you take in the racecourse centre access road) was inappropriate for a park the govenment insisted it should be a park..
April 4, 2014 at 8:53 AM
yes he has never been there. Was he flown in by helicopter when he went to the middle? He cant have gone through the tunnel of shit!
April 4, 2014 at 8:58 AM
If you want a man who continually skirts around issues (use of the race course as a public park), does back flips on election promises (I will reverse the land swap and oppose over development) and can’t get his CV correct, then look no further than Southwick.
April 4, 2014 at 11:53 AM
He never returns calls.
April 4, 2014 at 2:46 PM
This land will go to Maccabi. Southwick will see to that.
April 4, 2014 at 3:24 PM
have you been there? Would be enough room for a mini pitch. Very little room for a clubhouse and where would you park?
April 4, 2014 at 3:45 PM
How typical of Southwick MP to be so ignorant of the history of the site. GECC didn’t support the land swap and pointed out the “new” Crown Land was not highly valuable or well-located. Gavin Jennings supported the “land swap” in principle subject to conditions, including that “he has indicated that he will expect area 1 to be fully landscape by the MRC at its cost (to DSE’s satisfaction) on its transfer to the Crown”. MRC commissioned a report to persuade the Government of how valuable and useful the land would be as a public park.
After the dirty deal was done, MRC backtracked and negotiated with the Government and Southwick MP a new deal in which they bought their way out of their obligations. They provided some money rather than landscape the park. The Government “invited” GECC to be a Committee of Management, on priviso they agreed to to the lease of a portion of the land to the MRC for 10 years. The not-so-subtle hint was dropped that the Government expected the land to be redeveloped as a junior soccer pitch.
So we didn’t get a park, were faced with a large bill to establish a new park, and had only the very uncertain and limited revenue stream from MRC to fund ongoing development and maintenance. Nor is the land in any sense a gateway, as it leads to the plethora of fences and barriers that the MRC has erected. Southwick MP is a failure and should stand down at the next election, which can’t come too soon for me.
April 4, 2014 at 4:11 PM
Shame on you Southwick,
April 4, 2014 at 4:03 PM
Southwick said “I hope a suitable use will be found for this very important piece of land which is, as I said, a doorway into the racing club”. It’s not just a racing club. It’s also our park, (MODERATORS: phrase deleted)
April 4, 2014 at 12:01 AM
By the way CRRT and Glen Eira Councillor , Trustee representatives Fan club according to a statement by council in questions councillors are nominated by council but appointed by government and because it is a secret society no one is allowed to be told what happens at the Caulfield Racecourse Trustee Meetings. And of interest to you if you happen to want to search the Caulfield Racecourse Trustee Website and you type it in… the simple answer is the Melbourne Racing Club website.
April 4, 2014 at 1:59 PM
If the ABC thing tonight features Magee or Delahunty or whoever. If they are trying to bring the whole dodgy racecourse sham into the public domain then good on them. This will be the first time anyone from Council has tried to speak out on behalf of residences.
April 4, 2014 at 5:29 PM
Another interesting snippet from the DSE letter to MRC’s Brian Discombe in 2008 is that the landswap parcel 2 was to be leased to the MRC for track training purposes and that “the rental for the lease will be based on a market rent valuation by the Valuer General”. Would be interesting to know whether the MRC has leases for all the other land that it occupies for track training purposes and placed barriers around and if so, whether their rentals are based on similar criteria. The allegation was made in Council that the MRC pays far less than market rent valuation for the land that it has leased, but just which land it has leased is a secret.
April 4, 2014 at 8:00 PM
Interesting piece but isn’t it odd that the Glen Eira Trustees(Esakoff, Lipshutz and Hyams) nor the CEO of Glen Eira (Newton) we’re not interviewed, as you would normally expect. Oh that’s right, BASTARDS!
April 4, 2014 at 8:44 PM
Whinging b$!tch!
April 5, 2014 at 2:40 PM
Jim was on TV last night. ABC. It is well known that there are very few swinging voters watching or listening to the ABC. All rusted on. The ABC reported on this morning 774 news that Jim was mayor of Glen Eira. Come on Jim, you shouldn’t have told then that.
April 7, 2014 at 11:23 AM
The interviewer called him Cr Jim Magee not Mayor.