Hirst fires broadside at Munz in RV farewell
The following statement is provided on behalf of retiring Racing Victoria director and acting chair, Mike Hirst, whose term concludes this weekend.
“I am very grateful to have been afforded an opportunity to contribute to an industry that I love. I have been fortunate to meet a lot of similarly committed people and will walk away with admiration for all those who give so much.
“However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a director of Racing Victoria, it’s that you can put seven participants in a room and get eight different opinions.
“Or occasionally, as we have seen recently, you get a single opinion that tries to dominate. One of the great strengths of our industry is that everyone is passionate. One of its weaknesses is that the loudest voices, mostly driven by self-interest, sometimes drown out the facts and occasionally end up giving the industry a black eye.
“It’s a simple fact of life that nobody can get everything they want all the time. Racing is an industry where there are numerous stakeholders who often find themselves competing against each other for the same resource. So, of course, that simple fact of life often rules.
“For racing in Victoria to get to a position where everyone can be happy with their lot there must be give and take so we can grow the pie. That’s not to say we aren’t successful now, because we are.
“The Racing Victoria board has steered the industry through a time of unprecedented challenges.
“When most sports shut down during Covid, the industry worked around the clock to keep racing going, with RV injecting $75 million into our clubs and helping save 25,000 jobs.
“Faced with the end of existing funding arrangements through our JV with Tabcorp, we negotiated a landmark ten-year, $2 billion funding agreement with the Victorian government to secure the industry’s future.
“In my nine years on the board wagering turnover on Victorian racing has grown from $5.3 billion to $8.8 billion, annual industry prize-money and bonuses on offer has grown by over $140 million, and club funding has doubled.
“Victoria has Australia’s richest owner and breeder incentive scheme, VOBIS, which is now worth over $30 million a year.
“The race programme we have delivered includes a record 12 of the top 100 Group 1 races in the world.
“Racing Victoria’s assets have grown from close to nothing to more than $110 million, and we’ve future-proofed the industry by buying a 1,000-acre land holding at Oaklands.
“We’ve invested more than $70 million in infrastructure projects worth over $150 million, including 140 kilometres of plastic running rail across all 67 racecourses to make them safer.
“And we’ve delivered the most expansive broadcast distribution network of any sport in the country.
“But most importantly, for the future of our sport, we have delivered world-leading veterinary protocols and welfare initiatives for our horses. The real stars of the show.
“All of that was led by a board with deep experience in all the areas that matter.
“Extensive racing and breeding interests, as well as being heavy hitters in finance, business, risk, strategy, communications and government relations.
“Yet for some reason the TROA chairman, Jonathon Munz, can’t find a positive or constructive thing to say about the performance of RV.
“His latest target is Tim Eddy, the newly elected chair whose appointment has been welcomed by every club and stakeholder group except TROA.
“Once again, with his trademark bluster, Munz claims to represent the views of the industry when in reality he speaks for nobody but himself.
“That was evident in the comprehensive defeat he suffered in February when he tried to oust five RV directors. The only person who voted in favour was him.
“Rather than accept the verdict, Munz continues his ongoing public, personal and vitriolic attacks on the racing minister, and RV board and executives. And anyone else who doesn’t bow down to him or agree with everything he says.
“How he believes his appalling behaviour advances the industry, interests of owners, or assists TROA’s effectiveness as a stakeholder is anyone’s guess.
“As the outgoing chair I hope the industry will put aside personal agendas and self-interest and work together to grow the pie for all participants.”