Munz launches latest attack on Racing Victoria
Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners Association (TROA) chairman Jonathan Munz has backed Tim Rourke to be appointed new chairman of Racing Victoria.
In a statement released after Rourke and Mark Player were appointed to the RV board, Munz cautioned Victorian racing minister Anthony Carbines against selecting a current board member, including Tim Eddy, for the role of chairman, believing that such an appointment would ‘result in unnecessary conflict, when what the racing industry now requires is common sense and unity’.
Carbines appointed Rourke and Player onto the board after Gillon McLachlan withdrew from the race this week.
Munz, who led an unsuccessful bid in February to unseat five of the board directors, including Eddy, said it would be a mistake by Carbines if he were to select one of those board members ‘before the two new directors, Powercor boss Tim Rourke and industry stalwart Mark Player, have attended their first board meeting’.
“Tim Rourke and Mark Player are excellent choices as new directors of Racing Victoria, but the industry has been clear that the majority of the board needs to be replaced and that the new chairman needs to be a fresh outside person,” Munz said in a statement.
“There are eight Racing Victoria directors, plus the CEO and appointing only two new directors to a poorly performing board, without having one of the new directors being appointed as the chairman, is not going to be acceptable or sensible.
“The Minister originally promised in September last year to procure a refresh of the majority of the board, after Racing Victoria Members were about to vote to remove the majority of RVL directors.
“He subsequently reversed on that commitment and proposed to appoint three new directors with Gill McLachlan as chairman, with the promise that the new chairman would then recommend and decide which further directors needed to be replaced.
“There has been widespread dissatisfaction and lack of confidence from industry participants and race clubs in the Racing Victoria Board, resulting in an effective no confidence vote in the Board in February and the subsequent forced departure of discredited CEO Andrew Jones.
“The board has been strongly criticised for its insufficient racing experience and knowledge and lack of commercial expertise and has been seen to have done a poor job.
“I have observed that in many ways the board members were in fact more culpable than Andrew Jones and it is not enough to just be rid of Jones without meaningful change at board level.
“They set the policy and enabled poor decisions and dysfunction. It makes no sense and would be inappropriate to leave them in charge or let them choose the new CEO.
“Apart from that, most people would recognise the absurdity of the Minister taking more than 12 months to appoint a chairman who he clearly did not think was appropriate to appoint more than a year ago.”
Munz was on the board advisory panel, convened by the racing minister, which helped select Rourke and Player as directors.
“Logically, Tim Rourke should be the obvious new Chairman,” he said.
“He clearly has superior qualifications to the existing board members, even if they were not surrounded by pre-existing controversies.
“He brings no baggage and will be accepted by race clubs and industry participants.”