While the Australian Turf Club has sent out its case for its members to vote on the sale of Rosehill racecourse, a host of questions remain unanswered. The Straight asked chairman Peter McGauran many of these in a detailed interview. Some were answered but, others he concedes, won’t be resolved until after April 3.
Peter McGauran has sat at the centre of a racing and political firestorm for the better part of 15 months, ever since the Australian Turf Club (ATC) chairman stood next to NSW Premier Chris Minns as he described the sale of Rosehill for housing as a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity for Sydney.
He didn’t need the Premier to remind him that this was an extraordinary moment for the ATC. But the intervening time has produced a cocktail of drama, accusations and upheaval that not even as experienced a political hand as McGauran could have anticipated.
“I wish this was a normal property acquisition debate, and we could have built a business case, sought input from stakeholders, and consulted widely with members,” McGauran told The Straight.
“But the actual fact is, we were unable to do so because of the unsolicited proposal process. The cart was before the horse, and it's been incredibly frustrating that we're governed by secrecy constraints with the government throughout.
“And it's not how you would want an issue of such magnitude to be put to members, but it's the nature of a property deal with the government, where propriety and where probity and integrity has to be guaranteed.”
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