The Australian Turf Club (ATC) has put measures around its memberships to prevent parties either opposed or supportive of the sale of Rosehill racecourse from stacking new members in their favour ahead of a vote on the contentious issue.
The Straight has been told that the ATC declined to discount its membership late last season as it has done in previous seasons.
There was concern that a special offer could lead to a surge of new members funded by groups wishing to influence a future vote.
The strategy is likely to mean that overall membership levels for 2023/24 will be lower than those for previous seasons when they are reported, but the ATC felt it was willing to pay that price if it helped to preserve what it says is the integrity of the voting process.
Chairman Peter McGauran has told ATC members that they will get the final determination of whether a proposal to close, redevelop and sell off Rosehill is approved as per the Registered Clubs Act.
Those assurances came after The Cabinet Office sought and received advice which said member approval was not required, only that of the board. The ATC insists the members will get to vote.
The Straight understands that the ATC membership base was around 12,000 when Premier Chris Minns and Peter McGauran first announced the proposal in early December.
When asked, the ATC did not confirm the current number of active members, but given it is early in the racing season, it is likely to be less than that.
The ATC says that membership numbers are tracking broadly similar to last season.
Membership for the ATC costs $588, with a $500 joining fee for new members.
The Rosehill issue has become highly politicised within the racing landscape, with an influential group named Save Rosehill campaigning for the ATC’s plans to be abandoned.
The Rosehill proposal is now at the centre of an Upper House select committee inquiry which is probing the origin of the Rosehill idea and the broader NSW racing industry.
Warwick Barr
Meanwhile, the process pushes on and the NSW state government approved stage 1 of the ATC’s unsolicited proposal in June.
Stage 2 involves due diligence by the proponent and the state government, after which the proposal is to be put to the ATC members.
Racing NSW is working with the ATC on its planning and due diligence surrounding the proposal, which is estimated to be worth between $2 billion and $23 billion.
McGauran told the Rosehill parliamentary inquiry last month that that planning work, to this point, had cost around $320,000.
Warwick Barr
The politics surrounding the Rosehill issue are impacting not only the ATC membership approach but also other aspects of the club’s operations.
Marketing company Kick Collective has said the ATC has refused it media accreditation due to its “differing views” on the Rosehill proposal.
Kick Collective was founded by Vicky Leonard, who also runs racing advocacy outfit Sustainable Action For Racing, known as Kick Up, and breeding and bloodstock publication The Thoroughbred Report.
Bren O’Brien
Leonard, a director of Thoroughbred Breeders NSW, authored a submission to the Rosehill parliamentary inquiry on behalf of Sustainable Action For Racing, calling for a review of Racing NSW’s powers, among other things.
The Straight asked the ATC to respond to Leonard’s statement that media accreditation for Kick Collective was refused because their views on the future of Rosehill did not align with the ATC but is yet to receive a response.
