The Friday afternoon move by Racing NSW to delay the vote on the sale of Rosehill has been slammed by the Save Rosehill group as a “blatant attempt to silence your vote”, claiming the majority of members have already voted against the resolutions.
Following the announcement by Racing NSW on Friday afternoon they had directed the Australian Turf Club to delay the vote – as outlined in this article – Save Rosehill released the following to members:
By now, many of you will be aware that late this afternoon, Racing NSW directed the Australian Turf Club (ATC) to postpone the member vote on the proposed sale of Rosehill. We are seeking legal advice as to whether they can compel the ATC Board to ride roughshod over ATC members rights.
We believe they know that the majority of the members have already voted against the resolutions to allow the sale of Rosehill Gardens.
This last-minute directive is a blatant attempt to silence your voice - a desperate move that flies in the face of democratic process, and contradicts all prior statements made by the Premier in Parliament about the independence of the ATC and the rights of its members.
Even in the absence of full transparency or detailed planning documents, members overwhelmingly recognised what’s at stake - not just the loss of a racecourse, but a betrayal of everything Rosehill represents to the racing community. The widespread belief that Racing NSW would ultimately control the proceeds - just as they are now attempting to control the vote itself - has only deepened our conviction this whole process is a sham.
We are pursuing avenues to ensure member concerns remain front and centre - including continuing steps to remove Peter McGauran as a Director of the ATC, whose leadership throughout this process has contributed to this situation.
The Save Rosehill website names the following industry participants as supporters.
Gai Waterhouse
Chris Waller
John Messara
Bob Charley (former Chairman AJC)
Ron Finemore (former Chairman AJC)
John Cornish (former Chairman ATC)
Julia Ritchie (former ATC Vice Chair)
Greg Kenny (former STC Vice Chair)
David Walter
Antony Thompson
John O’Shea
Gary Portelli
John Sargent
Vin Cox
Debbie Kepitis
Frank Cook
Jason Abrahams
Neil Werrett
Nick Vass
Harry Mitchell
