In what can only be described as the most extraordinary course of events the MRC representatives (plus 2 Government appointed Trustees have voted at the last (secret?) Trustee meeting to:
- have a 5 year lease on the entire racecourse land and only pay $90,000+ pa
- that this lease then be ‘renewable’ for a further 21 year lease at this rental
- that Mike Symons (and the other MRC trustees) do not have any conflict of interest concerns when negotiating leases on their rented stables/training facilities
What we publish in order below is quite staggering. First, the letter by Greg Sword to the Minister and others alleging conflict of interest etc. Only the first page is uploaded, but the entire document is available for downloading HERE
Next, we’ve uploaded the MRC response and its attack on Sword. Again the full document is available HERE
Finally, another document written by Mr Fenwick to the Minister is available HERE
CONCLUSIONS
- The entire Trustees should be sacked immediately in our view and an independent management committee appointed
- The legality of this entire fiasco, and especially the actions of the MRC trustees needs immediate resolution with the option of penalties
- A full parliamentary inquiry, if not a Royal Commission be instituted to investigate the long term issues that have plagued the management of the racecourse as public crown land.
Glen Eira Debates 
October 22, 2014 at 11:09 AM
interesting the whole track has already been removed ready for resurfacing and the public are locked out till 2015. Like how MRC have included training within the recreation purpose of the grant. They must have been rolling around the floor laughing when they wrote this!
October 22, 2014 at 11:25 AM
It’s Time!!!!
October 22, 2014 at 11:35 AM
Simply because 8 people and six of those have direct vested interests vote that someone does not have a conflict of interest, does not make it so. The actions of the Melbourne Racing Club have never been in the public interest. They have all been to cement their stranglehold on Caulfield racetrack and its surrounds. The trustees have been guilty for decades in allowing this situation to continue, but I do give credit now to Sword and the others in trying to put a stop to it.
October 22, 2014 at 11:36 AM
The MRC vote was
Victorian Amateur Turf Club (Melbourne Racing Club – MRC) nominees:
For:
Mr Matthew Cain
Mr Rod Fenwick
Mr Peter Le Grand
Mr Peter McCarthy
Mr Ian J MacDonald
Mr Michael Symons
Government nominees:
Ms Marion Lau OAM
Mr Edward Tanner
Against:
Mr Ross Kennedy
Justice Shane Marshall
Mr Nicolaos Staikos
Mr Greg Sword AM (Chairman)
GEC Council nominees:
Cr Jamie Hyams
Cr Margaret Esakoff
Cr Michael Lipshutz
October 22, 2014 at 12:52 PM
The two government nominees who voted for this should immediately be dismissed and their alignment with the MRC reviewed.
Tanner has been there since 1996 (way past an acceptable use by date) and obviously firmly aligned to the MRC.
Lau has been there since 2011 and obviously is also firmly aligned to the MRC.
How these two can vote for expanding the MRC lease areas for less revenue is inconceivable. Neither of them must have read
. September’s Auditor General Report which totally canned them for mismanagement and failure consider the public park and public recreation aspects
. Their own (ie. Trustees) commissioned independent commercial lease valuations that for a much smaller area recommended lease values of over $1m pa.
A rental of over $1m per year for $2bn worth of prime land gives a return of less than the cost of renting a 1 br flat in Caulfield North. Yet according to these two $90K is all it takes.
October 22, 2014 at 12:02 PM
For a “non profit organisation” the Melbourne Racing Club is about to make multiple million dollar profits on the Caulfield Village. They already make millions from their tabaret gambling outfits and hotels. They also receive millions of dollars in handouts of tax payer money from Napthine and his racing mates in government (both lib and lab). Every single thing they do is designed to bring in more money and increase racing revenue and interests. Nothing but nothing has got to do with furthering community and living up to any kind of agreements that have been made in the past. The Melbourne Racing Club is the most self interested party in the entire affair. They have no intention of moving training and they have no intention of letting sports clubs use the centre – that would impede the racing vision. What should happen now is that they are brought to heel and shown that they are not immune to the full force of the law.
October 22, 2014 at 12:40 PM
David Southwick’s silence is deafening!
October 22, 2014 at 1:09 PM
Southwick got Marion Lau on to the trust. She has been a stooge for the MRC ever sence.
October 22, 2014 at 1:12 PM
Southwick’s fingerprints are al over this.
October 22, 2014 at 1:18 PM
Newton and the gang have to cop plenty of the flak for this to. They gave the mrc everything they wanted with the C60 and then only donkey years later did they pass some piss weak resolutions to go to the valuer general, auditor general and finally to the ombudsman. That should have been the first thing they did and listen to the residents. They sold out for a lousy 5 million or so. Newton and the trust should be sacked today.
October 22, 2014 at 3:59 PM
The MRC-nominated trustees continue to show no understanding of the concept of Conflict Of Interest. It appears they have been egged on by the bipartisan approach of Labor and Liberal hacks to do nothing about improving the management regime of the Racecourse precinct. However VAGO has written its damning report, now in the public domain, and it’s an Election year. On every single front, whether the fences, safety regime, access to the centre, lease valuations, the non-Agreement, relocation of training, training barriers, landscaping works, giant electronic screen, hatching of land for MRC benefit, Booran Rd “park”, signage—CRRT has been a failure and will continue to be a failure for so long as MRC have effective control and can dominate all decisions.
October 22, 2014 at 5:21 PM
About $15m is going to be spent on redevelopment of the track. I’d like to be as sure of winning tatts that this means all the junk and rubble will be tossed and stored into the centre making it impossible for people to use.
Reading these minutes I’m not even sure that the trustees have given their permission for this major work. If they haven’t then like always the MRC is saying get stuffed and we will do what we want when we want.
October 22, 2014 at 6:41 PM
Another secretive meeting and another all for the MRC to the exclusion of the public …. the Auditor General’s Report is pretty clear cut – fix the mess that your incompetence and flagrant breaches of your obligations have caused or get fired.
It’s pretty clear the MRC believes this wasn’t meant to apply to them and they are continuing along their merry “take it all” way.
October 22, 2014 at 9:12 PM
The polies are up to their necks in all this and they have been for years. You can have as many auditor general reports as you like but they won’t do a thing about anything and that goes for both sides. They are pathetic and have as many vested interests as the mrc.
October 23, 2014 at 8:50 AM
They “yes” voters have learned nothing, and it looks like they are backed by the Napthine government.
October 23, 2014 at 10:34 AM
anyone catch Jon Faine this morning discussing the racecourse asking why we are subsidising pokies? Be good to get a copy of the interview
October 23, 2014 at 12:07 PM
Also heard Michael Lipshtuz saying they are not interested in removing training. Between the Trustees, MRC and Council the residents don’t stand a chance – our taxes and rates keep going up as do the subsidies to the MRC.