Rob Macaulay to leave Greyhound Racing NSW following turbulent two-year tenure

Rob Macaulay’s time at Greyhound Racing NSW has come to a close following his resignation on Tuesday.

GRNSW CEO Rob Macaulay

• Bliss to anguish: Downfall of Greyhound NSW boss

Rob Macaulay’s turbulent two-year tenure at the helm of Greyhound Racing NSW is officially over.

The embattled CEO resigned from his post on Tuesday following a GRNSW board meeting on Monday which is understood to have sealed his fate.

It’s anticipated long serving deputy Wayne Billett will take the reins in an interim capacity.

Mr Macaulay’s resignation comes at a time of great upheaval at GRNSW as the board navigates the fallout from being issued a “show cause” notice by Minister for Racing David Harris.

The GRNSW board has been given a deadline of 5pm on Friday to explain why it should not be removed from power and an administrator be appointed.

The decision by Mr Harris to issue the “show cause” notice follows more than a year of controversy at the commercial arm of the sport during Macaulay’s tenure.

READ: How the greyhounds got out in front eight years after Baird’s ban

Allegations from whistleblowers, including former employees and ex-contractors, prompted the board to launch two separate external investigations into the CEO at a cost to the industry north of $700,000.

GRNSW CEO boss Rob Macaulay Picture: Justin Lloyd.

At the conclusion of the reports, the GRNSW board, led by Chairman Adam Casselden, chose to support the beleaguered CEO, declaring that no wrongdoing was found.

But it was the board’s refusal on legal grounds to handover the two reports to the Minister that was the origin of the “show cause” notice.

It’s understood redacted versions of the reports will now be presented to Mr. Harris.

In response to Macaulay’s resignation, Minister for Racing David Harris “noted the changes in management at GRNSW” and declared that “matters relating to the management of GRNSW are the responsibility of the Board”.

“As Minister for Gaming and Racing, I am committed to supporting a competitive, responsible and sustainable greyhound racing industry, with the highest standards of animal welfare and integrity,” Mr Harris said.

“The NSW Government will continue to work with GRNSW and greyhound racing participants to ensure the viability and longevity of the industry in NSW.”

A further reason for the “show cause” notice was Mr. Macaulay’s delay in providing a 54-page report drafted by former chief vet Alex Brittan to Mr. Harris.

Mr. Brittan, who left GRNSW in January after nine months in the role, fired off the dossier to both Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) and the Greyhound, Welfare & Integrity Commission (GWIC) more than six months after his departure.

Mr. Harris first learned of the report from GWIC rather than Mr. Macaulay which is a contravention of GRNSW’s Operating licence and is said to have incensed the Minister.

An appointment of Mr. Macaulay, which insiders have dubbed an own goal, Mr. Brittan’s time at GRNSW was littered with radical suggestions, including greyhounds wearing protective shoes and being scanned through x-ray machines prior to racing.

Such were the outlandish nature of some ideas, many GRNSW staffers questioned Mr. Brittan’s support of greyhound racing at all, a position that is said to be only furthered with the tendering of his report.

READ: Minister moves to sack entire GRNSW board

Member of the Animal Justice Party Emma Hurst recently made an application for the Brittan report under a SO52 order in parliament, with the report, which was already being widely circulated on Tuesday, to be officially tabled on Wednesday.

Minister for Racing David Harris

In response to the negative publicity, GRNSW recently embarked on a major advertising blitz, highlighting some of the significant strides the industry has made in the past year.

Yet the costly campaign has gone down like a lead balloon with participants who just last week were told that more than $1.5 million would be cut from prize money this financial year.

This followed a move - which was ultimately canned - to slash race club funding by 20 per cent given pressures on revenue due to a downturn in wagering across all three codes.

If the GRNSW board does remain in power, it will do so one short, after industry representative Matthew Waring’s term concluded at the weekend without any sign of renewal.