The beleaguered board of the Melbourne Racing Club are attempting to cling to power with a plot to suspend three of their own committee members to prevent them voting in a new chairman.
This is happening just as it appears that the election of two new board members at the club’s annual general meeting (AGM) next Thursday is likely to swing the committee votes to throw the incumbents out of their positions of power.
It is understood that John Kanga - the leader of the Save Our MRC group that is calling for change at the Club - along with fellow directors Alison Saville and Caitrin Kelly, who have supported his calls for major reforms, have been called to what Kanga has described as a “kangaroo court” disciplinary meeting next Thursday, where they believe they have been set up to be suspended, just hours before the club's annual General Meeting.
Saville and Kelly have also both made allegations of bullying and a “toxic atmosphere” in relation to the MRC committee.
The trio - who have the support of major owners and trainers - have been summoned to a meeting of a disciplinary committee for alleged breaches of the MRC’s “Code of Conduct” which mostly relate to public comments by Kanga, Saville and Kelly.
If the three are suspended, they will be prevented from taking part in a crucial vote to choose the club's next chair and other office bearer positions, which is due to take place immediately after the AGM. Without the possible suspension, it is likely that Kanga would be elected as Chairman.
Mr Kanga, who last month called for a special general meeting to spill the board and bring on a number of new directors, said:
"This so called “disciplinary hearing” is an attempt by the very people whose performance the members and the racing industry are heavily criticising, to set up a kangaroo court to retain their positions. These are the same board members we have sought to remove at a special general meeting of members, which unfortunately they have made every effort to avoid and delay at enormous cost to the Club. They know they cannot win a vote of members and are now potentially seeking to subvert the democratic process by suspending us on the very day when the members look set to elect two new committee members that are likely to support us.”
"This is going to outrage members who are already angry with the performance of the club."
“They have sought to threaten and censor us by weaponising and misusing this Code of Conduct, which clearly should not prevent us informing members of serious problems and issues of which they need to be aware when they are being asked to vote at a special general meeting to remove board members. They are clearly not legally entitled to do so. This is a continuing pattern of behaviour and those sort of threats have been made a number of times previously.”
The MRC has been involved in a bitter dispute at board level, with Kanga and his Save Our MRC campaign requisitioning a SGM to remove six board members. Mr Kanga wants to address deep seated member concerns and the three policies he is pushing are to move away from the failed new Caulfield mounting yard and return it to the previous position, scrap the proposed new “white elephant” grandstand and retain racing at Sandown.
The board members sought to be removed are retiring chairman Matt Cain, Nick Hassett, Jill Monk, Scott Davidson, Brooke Dawson and Mark Pratt. Those board members have been strongly criticised for throwing huge amounts of the club’s money at lawyers and spin doctors to avoid convening the special general meeting of members to remove them requisitioned by Kanga. This has frustrated many MRC members who are angry and want to have their vote on the conflict. They consider that Cain and his board have done a poor job and are not listening to members. The MRC has been accused of wasting $160 million on failed infrastructure facilities at Caulfield Racecourse, including the much maligned new mounting yard, plus jockey rooms and a truck car park that are too small and not fit for purpose. That also includes $23 million on a half empty flashy new office building for MRC executives and $37 million on an unnecessary inside racetrack that has been strongly criticised by industry participants. The truck car park mistake is particularly consequential, as it was meant to free up the old truck car park on the corner of Station Street and Kambrook Road for sale, but trucks are now still forced to park there. That was one of the big justifications for much of the infrastructure work, so that is very embarrassing.
Mark Pratt resigned as a board member a few days ago and many are hoping that some of his colleagues will follow suit.
