'PROTEST' MEETING PASSES FOUR RESOLUTIONS INCLUDING VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN INTERIM CEO

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, December 16, 2015

The new Racing Minister ,Grace Grace, will need a couple of weeks at least to get up fully to speed with her new portfolio, but one fact she doesn’t have to go looking for was signed, sealed and delivered to her when stakeholders at a Rally for Racing Queensland meeting sent her an unambiguous message this morning.

Four resolutions were ultimately tabled at the meeting with the following outcome.

PASSED: A vote of ‘no confidence’ in Racing Queensland’s Interim CEO, Ian Hall.

PASSED: The Industry rejects the proposal to implement a Board with a majority membership of non-industry knowledgeable people.

PASSED: The Industry requires the government to, within one month, appoint a Board under the current structure, with appropriate input from the industry.

PASSED: That until a Board has been implemented and given sufficient time to assess the current situation and devise and agree a strategy, no changes are implemented.

The vote of no confidence in RQ’s Interim CEO was a late inclusion on the agenda.

All resolutions were passed unanimously.

This outcome basically translated into an outright rejection by stakeholders of the current management structure of Racing Queensland and therefore of decisions officials have taken within that management structure.

And there was a further twist on that subject as another important point was raised which will need swift clarification.

At the meeting the government was called out for allegedly acting beyond their powers as they have yet to pass their recommended new racing law.

It was contending that the government therefore was still bound to work under the existing law which states that a Racing Board and a permanent Racing Queensland CEO be in place.

The tone and behaviour at the meeting remained calm and restrained throughout. Certainly some of the comments made took no prisoners but all of the interaction was delivered in a measured manner which seemed to confirm that stakeholders are now steadfast in their mission of taking back their industry as best they can under difficult circumstances.

It is true that speakers at the meeting were talking to some empty chairs as the Premier, the Racing Minister and Racing Queensland’s Interim CEO were all invited to the rally ... but none of them attended.

All that means is that they will not get the message first-hand.

But they will get the message!

It’s how they react to it that will write the next chapter in this story.

More articles