Racing NSW chairman Russell Balding forced to stand down after government torpedos bill for controversial two-year extension

Racing NSW is on the hunt for a new chairman after the state government was forced to walk away from its own bill to controversially extend his tenure past the 10-year limit which is currently in place.

Russell Balding (right) will be forced to step down as chairman of Racing NSW later this month. Hollie Adams/The Australian

Longtime Racing NSW chairman Russell Balding will be forced to step down after the state government sensationally torpedoed its own bill to controversially extend his tenure in parliament on Friday morning.

The Labor government walked away from the eleventh-hour bill instead of supporting amendments to it which would have seen greater oversight on the governance of Racing NSW in return for the opposition and crossbench support of Balding’s extension.

Balding has been on the board of Racing NSW since 2011 and been chairman since 2016, however laws state a maximum 10-year tenure for state statutory authorities in NSW, meaning the government needed to rush the legislation through parliament with minimal consultation on the last sitting day of the year.

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As chairman, Balding has been at the forefront of change in NSW racing, overseeing the implementation of races such as The Everest and Golden Eagle.

It is reported Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys met with opposition MPs and Racing Minister David Harris in NSW parliament on Thursday ahead of the bill going before the house, which caused heated debate on both sides of politics.

A condition of Balding’s two-year extension was having Racing NSW called before budget estimates hearings and audits by the state Auditor-General.

Russell Balding’s tenure as Racing NSW chairman will end on December 19. Picture: Toby Zerna.

Ahead of the vote, V’Landys told reporters he would have welcomed the greater scrutiny.

“We welcome this as it gives us the opportunity to correct the significant misinformation which borders on dishonesty that has been said about Racing NSW during this week,” he said.

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In blowing up his own bill, Harris said he did not want to burden Racing NSW with additional red tape.

“It makes no sense to burden Racing NSW with these additional requirements and risk making it uncompetitive with racing jurisdictions to fix a problem that is not the subject of this legislation,” he said.

The proposed extension attracted high-profile criticism from the likes of John Messara, Katie Page and Gai Waterhouse, who described it as “bad governance.”

Racing NSW is now on the hunt for a new chairman, with Balding’s term set to expire on December 19.

Originally published as Racing NSW chairman Russell Balding forced to stand down after government torpedos bill for controversial two-year extension