Is former greyhounds boss hoping for a win in court?

Recently departed CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW Rob Macaulay is suing the organisation for unfair dismissal, well-placed insiders have informed this column.

Recently departed CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW Rob Macaulay is suing the organisation for unfair dismissal, well-placed insiders have informed this column.

Two years after being appointed to run the organisation, Macaulay stepped aside from his role in July, or so the official GRNSW board-sanctioned statement said at the time.

“The Board of GRNSW has today accepted the resignation of its CEO Mr Robert Macaulay,” the GRNSW board under chairman Adam Casselden said in a statement on July 9.

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“Mr Macaulay’s decision to resign was an amicable one and one he felt was best for the industry at this time.

“The Board wishes to acknowledge his service and leadership of the organisation over the last two years.”

Former GRNSW CEO boss Rob Macaulay with greyhound Ginger in January. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Macaulay’s departure coincided with a damning 54-page former GRNSW vet’s report being handed to state parliament, prompting Racing Minister David Harris to apply pressure to the board by presenting it with a “show cause” notice demanding it justify why it should not be removed.

According to GRNSW insiders, Macaulay’s departure was anything but amicable, with the relationship between the former CEO executive and his once in-lock-step board in tatters at the time of his departure.

It came after a turbulent two year tenure marred by executive-level complaints prompting the commissioning of two expensive internal investigations into Macaulay’s leadership, the results of which were never released.

This despite this writer’s repeated attempts – including multiple government information public access (GIPA) requests to GRNSW, which failed to extract a single answer to some 40 questions. Macaulay refused to confirm he was taking legal action yesterday, saying only: “I have no comment about any issue or ongoing negotiations with GRNSW”.

Insiders claim Macaulay, a lawyer and founder of law firm PTW (which provides legal services to GRNSW and billed the organisation for $1,007,453 in 2022 and $973,137 in 2023 as per an arrangement that preceded Macaulay’s installation as CEO), is seeking a million dollar-plus settlement from the organisation after his lucrative contract was cancelled midterm.
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