The status of Racing NSW’s Crown land management of Queanbeyan racecourse is set to be reviewed by the Department of Planning and Environment after concerns were raised in NSW parliament over how the approval process was handled.
NSW treasurer Daniel Mookhey conceded last week that the department was reviewing the approval process surrounding Queanbeyan, after the issue was put on the parliamentary agenda as a matter of public importance by independent MP Mark Latham.
Racing NSW was approved as a category 1 Crown Land Manager (CLM) in May last year and has subsequently assumed responsibilities for five racecourses - Port Macquarie, Inverell, Coffs Harbour, Queanbeyan and Armidale.
While there have been concerns raised about this approach by several parties, including trainers who are worried about possible increased leasing fees as well as the status of stables, stalls and other improvements made on crown land, the Queanbeyan issue is more complex.
Mookhey, speaking in the Upper House on behalf of Steve Kamper, the Minister for Lands and Property, said that approval by the Queanbeyan Racing Club for the transfer of the CLM was received in July 2023.
“Subsequently, the department was advised that Racing NSW had appointed a new administrative board to manage the race club as of 29 September 2023,” Mookhey said.
“The department was not aware that any administrative board members had concerns about the appointment of Racing NSW as the Crown land manager until a meeting was held with the Crown Lands office in Goulburn in June 2024.”
By that time, Queanbeyan had been announced as one of the five racecourses over which Crown land management had been assumed by Racing NSW. This was confirmed in a NSW Government Gazette notice on May 31.
Mookhey said that there had been a subsequent miscommunication between the department and that the process needed to be reviewed.
“The staff member that it was advised to contact was on leave and secondments at that time and ultimately left the department on 9 January 2025,” he said.
“As a result, I am advised that those concerns were not taken up. In response to being made aware of these concerns, the department will re-engage with Racing NSW and the Queanbeyan Racing Club administrative board to review the appointment of Racing NSW as the Crown land manager for the reserve.”
Mookhey said that review was underway before Latham tabled the issue in parliament last week. Latham had suggested in parliament that an illegal transfer may have taken place.
Bren O’Brien
Racing NSW’s approval as CLM had also raised questions over whether the racing regulator would seek to gain freehold title over the five racecourses.
Mookhey had earlier told parliament in answer to a written question from Latham that there was no evidence to suggest this was the case.
“The department is not aware of any current proposal from Racing NSW to seek freehold title of the five country racecourses,” he said on Kamper’s behalf as his Upper House representative.
Mookhey told parliament that his government was opposed to the transfer of ownership of the land from Crown to freehold unless there is “demonstrable public benefit”.
“Crown land is at the heart of the social, cultural and environmental fabric of local communities and the State as a whole,” Mookhey said.
“The government knows well what a precious asset the Crown estate is. For this reason, Crown land is generally not sold.
“On rare occasions, when there is a demonstrable public benefit, parcels of Crown land may be available for purchase, but this occurs only when an assessment confirms that the land is not required for government use, community benefit or a strategic purpose.”
Mookhey said only seven such sales have been completed since the Crown Land Management Act was enacted in 2018.
“One was in 2020, one was in 2021, two were in 2022 and three were in 2023. No sales occurred in 2024 or in 2025 to date,” he said.
Mookhey confirmed that since 2000, around 900 proposals for the sale of Crown Land have been refused by the NSW government.
