Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) has serious concerns regarding the timing and nature of a media release issued yesterday by the NSW Greyhound Breeders Trainers & Owners Association (GBOTA) suggesting that they have plans to build a new metropolitan Racing Precinct in Western Sydney.
Of most concern is that GBOTA has never advised Greyhound Racing NSW, which is the sport’s regulator and administrator in NSW, that it had any plans prior to issuing its media release yesterday.
Also of concern is GBOTA’s failure to identify and publicly declare who the entity is that they have a memorandum of understanding with. Nor do they explain where the new racing venue will be or how their proposal will be funded.
“The GBOTA’s release yesterday, on the eve of GRNSW’s announcement today of is proposal to develop a new Sydney Metropolitan Racing Precinct (SMRP) at Richmond, is bizarre to say the least,” GRNSW CEO Steve Griffin said.
“It lacks all detail and does nothing but confuse the industry at a time when clear direction is necessary.”
The GBOTA did not advise GRNSW or Deloitte Australia, who conducted the feasibility study of 12 sites across Western Sydney (report available at www.grnsw.com.au) that it has such plans.
“As you will see from the article in today’s Daily Telegraph and the Deloitte report published on our website, unlike the GBOTA, GRNSW has undertaken a detailed and thorough analysis of the future of racing in metropolitan Sydney, and we are ready to move ahead with building a replacement Wentworth Park.
“This announcement and the Deloitte public facing document sends a clear message of confidence to the industry and is a stark contrast to the vague mission statement set out by GBOTA yesterday.
“The issuing of such a release is extremely disappointing for the sport. The release is correct in one sense, we need to ensure that the sport’s participants have clarity and certainty regarding the sport’s future. The release is the furthest thing from that.
“I just want to make it perfectly clear, GRNSW is the Principal Racing Authority in NSW. It is responsible for determining where any new tracks in NSW will be constructed, not the GBOTA.
“The NSW GBOTA is an advocacy and advisory membership body and a registered greyhound racing club. It has no role in administration of the sport, including determining where the sport will build its new metropolitan facility to replace Wentworth Park.
“Based upon the due diligence it has undertaken with the assistance of Deloitte Australia, GRNSW will be pressing ahead with progressing the plans for the new Sydney Metropolitan Racing Precinct announced in the Telegraph today.
“We trust that GBOTA will reflect on its poor decision to issue this release yesterday and return to collaborating with the other greyhound racing clubs and GRNSW in the best interests of the sport.
“This is what the sport’s participants, government and community expect of us”, Griffin said.
