Powerhouse figures in NSW racing and politics, including Australian Turf Club chairman Peter McGauran, Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys, and possibly Premier Chris Minns, are expected to speak before a parliamentary inquiry that will stage its first public hearing next Monday.
The Select Committee on the Proposal to Develop Rosehill Racecourse is scheduled for public hearings in the Macquarie Room at Parliament House in Sydney on July 22. Written submissions to the Upper House committee will close on Thursday, July 18.
While submissions are yet to close or be published, The Straight understands the committee has received an influx of correspondence on the Rosehill proposal.
The bipartisan committee, chaired by opposition planning minister Scott Farlow, has been compiling a list of witnesses and has contacted a host of major players in racing and politics ahead of the three hearing dates.
Given the first two items on the Select Committee’s terms of reference are the unsolicited proposal process and the involvement of the Minns government, the relationship between the ATC and the government is expected to be scrutinised.
The ATC has previously said it would be “only too happy to cooperate with the Parliament” and that is likely to mean that chairman Peter McGauran, a former federal politician himself, will be called to discuss the Rosehill process.
The relationship between Minns and ATC head of corporate affairs and government relations, Steve McMahon, is likely to be questioned. Minns previously said that he had known McMahon a long time and did not disagree when they were characterised as “mates” in an estimates hearing.
Given McMahon was the one who Minns said was the first to inform the Premier about the plans to close and redevelop Rosehill, McMahon is also likely to be called to speak before the committee
A meeting between the Premier and the ATC on October 30, 2023, outlined in Minns’ published ministerial diaries as a “meet and greet,” is likely to be the subject of discussion. This was three weeks before the full ATC board was informed and just over six weeks before Minns publicly announced the proposal.
The Premier is not compelled to appear before the committee but given the high-profile nature of the Rosehill proposal and the inquiry, he is expected to attend at its request and answer questions.
Former executives and board members of the ATC could be asked to give evidence about the relationship between the club and the government.
The terms of reference also include the impact of the Rosehill proposal more broadly on the racing industry in NSW, which is likely to mean V’landys will be asked to give evidence.
Depending on how broad the committee wants to go on that issue, the governance of Racing NSW could also be put under the spotlight. In that situation, rarely seen Racing NSW chair Saranne Cooke could also be asked to give evidence.
The Straight understands that leading trainers Chris Waller and Gai Waterhouse, both of whom have been vocal in their opposition to the idea of closing and developing Rosehill, were among those sought out to speak before the committee.
The committee's terms of reference also include the proposal's role in meeting housing targets, its impacts on the cost and delivery of the Sydney Metro, its impacts on Western Sydney parkland, and aspects surrounding animal welfare.
The committee includes the Animal Justice Party’s Emma Hurst as deputy chair. It also includes three Labor Party MPs, two other members of Liberal/National parties, a representative from The Greens and two independents.
Maverick western Sydney MP Mark Latham, an outspoken critic of both the ATC proposal and Racing NSW’s operations under V’landys, has been included as a participating member of the committee.
Bren O’Brien
There are three hearing sessions scheduled, July 22, August 9 and September 12 at Parliament House.
The committee must report to parliament by November 30, and the government must then respond to its recommendations within three months.
The government would not be required to implement recommendations but must explain what action, if any, it will take regarding each recommendation.
The NSW government advanced the unsolicited Rosehill proposal to stage two of the approval process last month. McGauran said the next stage involved the ATC working with members, stakeholders, and the NSW government to develop a detailed proposal.
The ATC has repeatedly said its members would receive a vote on the final proposal later in 2024.
