‘Highly unusual’ – Questions raised over Racing NSW’s board decision to allow V’landys’ rugby league switch

A key thoroughbred industry group, which is seeking major reform to NSW racing, has expressed its misgivings about the decision to grant Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys four months’ leave to fulfil a senior role with rugby league.

V’landys has served in the dual roles of Racing NSW CEO and chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ALRC) since 2019, but will be elevated to executive chairman from July 15 when Andrew Abdo departs his role as CEO of the National Rugby League.

Having served in the Racing NSW role for 22 years, V’landys requested long-service leave to temporarily take the executive role with the ARLC from the Racing NSW board.

While it is rare for a senior executive to be able to work elsewhere while on leave, the board assented to his request and he will be absent from July 15 onwards, with Graeme Hinton promoted to the interim CEO role.

The Racing Reform Group has been campaigning for change in NSW racing, co-ordinating a response to the Hazzard Review into the Thoroughbred Racing Act.

It also recently petitioned NSW Racing Minister David Harris to expand the remit of the Hazzard review.

In a statement released on Tuesday by secretary Brian Nutt, RRG said the decision to grant V’landys leave needed greater scrutiny.

“The announcement that Peter V’landys will take long service leave to run rugby league raises further serious questions about the governance of Racing NSW,” it read.

“It is highly unusual for a CEO to take leave to act as an interim CEO at another competing organisation, so we question why Saranne Cooke and the rest of the board of Racing NSW approved it.”

RRG said the decision to allow V’landys to moonlight in another executive role while on leave was even more curious given the pending review, the Supreme Court appeal over the administration of the Australian Turf Club (ATC) and the recent concerns raised by the government auditor over how the Racing For the Regions program has been handled.

“The coming months are a critical period for the racing industry in New South Wales – an industry that employs over 27,000 people in the state. Later this week, racing’s regulator is facing off against its biggest club, the ATC, in the Appeal Court; while Brad Hazzard is conducting a major review that is examining how Racing New South Wales functions, a report due next month,” it said.

“There are also ongoing issues with racing infrastructure in New South Wales, as detailed by a damning Auditor General report last month, which revealed four government-funded projects overseen by Racing New South Wales hadn’t even begun five years after approval.  Added to this, race clubs across the state are in serious financial trouble.”

The Group, which, as well as Nutt, features Julia Ritchie, Helen Sinclair, Arthur Mitchell, Will Johnson, David Walter and Jason Abrahams on its committee, is also calling for a proper appointment process should V’landys opt to step down as CEO.       

“When the CEO role at Racing NSW becomes vacant, proper governance should ensure there is legitimate process to find the best candidate,” it said.

“Significant reform is needed at Racing NSW for the organisation to meet its responsibilities and ensure racing has a sustainable future. The public tabling and implementation of the Hazzard review cannot come soon enough.”

V’landys, who is on a year-by-year contract with the racing regulator, said on Monday that he would make a decision over whether he would continue as CEO of Racing NSW during his summer holidays.  

It would take a change in the NRL constitution for him to fulfil an executive chairman role on an ongoing basis, while he said he wouldn’t be interested in fulfilling a CEO role at the NRL.

Meanwhile, Hinton has already expressed his desire to fill the role permanently should V’landys choose to leave.