In hastily appointing its current chief operating officer as Peter V’landys successor, Racing NSW has once again demonstrated it does not take its governance duties seriously.
A permanent replacement should not have been made until after the review of Racing NSW conducted by Brad Hazzard was made public. That report is expected to make recommendations to improve the governance of the organisation that will impact on the role of the chief executive.
Members of the Racing Reform Group (RRG) have been inundated by racing participants who are deeply concerned with the lack of proper process in Graeme Hinton’s appointment. It may be that Mr Hinton would have emerged as the most suitable candidate after a rigorous search, but the lack of any process means the industry cannot have confidence this would have been the case.
In our submission to the Hazzard review the RRG called for a number of changes to improve the governance of Racing NSW. These included shortening the board terms of directors from 12 years to eight; ensuring the industry has input on who is appointed to the board and strengthening the requirements to consult with participants. It is clear now that these reforms are more necessary than ever.
We call on the Premier to immediately release the Hazzard Report, there is no justification for keeping such an important document secret.
Racing Reform Group
