‘Stood up to bullies my whole life’: Peter V’landys’ searing attack on Mark Latham at Rosehill inquiry
In a fiery clash, the Racing NSW boss has accused MP Mark Latham of conducting a smear campaign with “absolutely zero evidence” at an explosive hearing into selling Rosehill Racecourse.
NSW
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Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys has accused independent MP Mark Latham of conducting a smear campaign against him with “absolutely zero evidence”.
In a fiery clash in the Select Committee Hearing into the sale of Rosehill Racecourse Mr V’landys said the former One Nation leader was trying to bully him.
“How can you make allegations and smears against somebody with absolutely zero evidence? Zero evidence,” he said
“You want to intimidate and bully me like you normally do … I have stood up to bullies my whole life,” he said.
“Good on you Peter,” said Mr Latham before firing more questions on the alleged “toxic culture of intimidation and environment of fear and reprisal” within Racing NSW.
“Mr Latham’s intention is to smear me on behalf of wealthy breeders somewhere,” said Mr V’landys as chair Scott Farlow endorsed a point of order for witnesses to be treated with courtesy.
Mr V’landys said Mr Latham represented “wealthy breeders” who were opposed to Racing NSW’s opposition to race horses being sent to knackeries.
“They want to get rid of me so they can put horses into abattoirs,” he said.
Sensationally Mr V’landys opened his evidence saying he had received a letter from the breeders attempting to intimidate him into not giving evidence.
“I received a letter late last night from the Breeders Association basically trying to intimidate me not to give evidence to this inquiry,” he said.
“We get accused and smeared about this inquiry yet the group one hypocrisy is that we get a letter saying our evidence should be tampered,” he said. “We have received senior counsel advice that this is in contempt of this hearing.”
Mr V’landys said there was a wider campaign to attack him personally in submissions to the inquiry.
“I’m aware of an email that’s going around that’s basically saying, ‘This is your chance to get rid of V’landys so make up whatever you can and put a submission in, doesn’t matter if it’s the truth, doesn’t matter if it’s lies, but just smear him’,” he said.
“I don’t think this inquiry’s intention is to smear people. It’s to look into Rosehill,” he said.
Mr V’landys angrily refuted a string of claims made on the first day of the hearing including that country racing was underfunded and that money had not been spent on infrastructure.
“My evidence today will absolutely destroy what they put in that matter anyway, because none of it’s true,” he said.
MINNS CONDEMNS ‘DISGRACEFUL’ ATTACKS
Earlier, on Friday, SW Premier Chris Minns has condemned “disgraceful” attacks made by Mr Latham on Mr V’landys.
“I think it’s disgraceful,” Mr Minns said after Mr Latham used parliamentary privilege to accuse Mr V’landys of “megalomania” breaches of regulations and nepotism.
“Mark Latham is currently being sued for defamation for things he said outside of Parliament, so he’s taken his attacks inside Parliament, where he can’t be sued,” Mr Minns said. “ It is the definition of the ‘Coward’s Castle’.”
Mr Latham is being sued by independent MP Alex Greenwich over an allegedly explicit tweet.
“The real worry here is that someone like Peter comes along and says, ‘look we’re open to this change,’ gets attacked for playing a part and gets hauled before a parliamentary committee for speaking his mind,” Mr Minns said.
The Premier said the former One Nation MP’s attacks on Mr V’landys exemplified why “it’s so difficult” to create change and drive progress in Sydney.
“If someone like Peter V’landys says, ‘we’re open to this change, yes it is change but it could be good for racing and it could be good for the city’, you get your head taken off by somebody,” Mr Minns said.
“This has got to change, this culture in Sydney that says, everything has to be set in stone, nothing can change, is hugely detrimental to the city,” Mr Minns said.
”If we don’t adopt change in an international city like Sydney, we will be stuck in the mud,” he said.
Mr Minns said whether it was housing approvals or the sale of Rosehill Racecourse the easiest answer was for bureaucrats to just say no.
“We have been saying no in Sydney for twenty years and as a result, we’ve got a housing crisis,” he said.
NSW RACING’S FUTURE ‘REIMAGINED’
The sale of Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is an opportunity to “reinvigorate” and “reimagine” the future of horse racing in NSW for the next 50 years, the inquiry into the sale heard today.
Australian Turf Club chairman Peter McGauran told the second sitting of the Select Committee Hearing that failure to sell the racecourse would leave racing “frozen in time.”
“I saw an opportunity to enable the ATC to reinvigorate, reimagine, Sydney racing for the future for 50 years or more,” Mr McGauran said.
The ATC’s unsolicited proposal to sell the racecourse for $5 billion would create a secure future fund for the racing industry and provide land for 25,000 critically needed new homes.
Mr McGauran said 80 per cent of the industry’s funding came from wagering and that had dropped from $90 million in 2021 to $72 million now.
“The ATC is exploring the possibility of developing Rosehill in order to secure a financial future with an income stream,” he said.
Mr McGauran said the decision was not up to the board. “It’s a member’s decision … if members vote against the sale of Rosehill Gardens that will be the end of the proposal.”
The proposal has been welcomed by NSW Premier Chris Minns but Mr McGauran said it was only viable if the proposed Metro station went ahead. “If there wasn’t the metro station we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he said. “If you don’t plan for the future you are hostage to it.”
ATC head of membership and corporate affairs Steve McMahon told the Committee the sale was dependent on a Metro station being built and that a decision needed to be made quickly.
“The time frame to secure a Metro Station is closing rapidly,” he said. “ Having a metro station at Rosehill will significantly increase the rezoning and housing potential and therefore the value to the ATC.”
RACECOURSE ‘SEVERELY UNDERVALUED’
Racing NSW board member Garry Charny has told the inquiry he personally has come to “no view” on whether the sale should go ahead.
However he said the racecourse was severely undervalued. “The value of this development is closer to $20 billion.”
Asked by Animal Justice MP Emma Hurst on the ideal tenure of a chief executive Mr Charny said he favoured a regular turnover. But he said Mr V’landys was the “exception that proves the rule.
“We are in an extraordinary time and whether you like him or not he is the most effective tool for getting the job done,” he said.
Ms Hurst then asked if he had heard off allegations against Mr V’landys to which he replied: “This is not about the sale of Rosehill anymore.”
Chair, opposition planning spokesman Scott Farlow, told Ms Hurst to keep her questions to the sale of Rosehill.
Originally published as ‘Stood up to bullies my whole life’: Peter V’landys’ searing attack on Mark Latham at Rosehill inquiry
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