By Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
Before last week, few would’ve heard of Rob Macaulay, who resigned as chair of Greyhound Racing NSW after a bombshell report by the sport’s chief vet was made public revealing barbaric treatment of dogs.
But now we’re all up to speed, CBD isn’t surprised that Macaulay’s turbulent reign failed to clean up a sport synonymous with animal cruelty. After all, the man is hardly a cheerleader for cultural change.
Macaulay, a suburban solicitor (his old firm, PWT Law, is based in Rosebery), is among the ranks of CEOs, politicians and judges that make up the Australian Club, that exclusive all-male institution where blokes go to do secret bloke business.
Rob Macaulay resigned as chief executive of Greyhound Racing NSW after the explosive report from the organisation’s former vet.
And exclusive is just how he likes it. Back in 2021, when the club was engulfed by an internal war over whether to let women become members, Macaulay was firmly in the “no ladies” camp, sharing and endorsing a 10-page missive sent to members by former federal court judge Peter Graham about the feminine threat.
“Much has been circulated in the last couple of weeks about changing our club, but I think the below email and attachment from Peter Graham summarises the situation well,” Macaulay wrote in an email to members.
“I commend it to you. It is vital that those of us who wish to preserve our Club as a gentlemen’s club come to the meeting on 15 June and Vote NO.” (His emphasis.)
Macaulay and friends got a win back then, with nearly two-thirds of members voting to keep women out and the Australian Club in the 19th century.
Which means the real loser in all this is former prime minister Scott Morrison, who’s been blackballed by a supposedly exclusive club that even admits former chief executives of Greyhound Racing NSW.
MATE AGAINST MATE
NSW 2, Victoria nil. That’s the apparent scorecard as far as the news of the royal visit is concerned. The trip by King Charles III and Queen Camilla in October is now official, but the itinerary isn’t yet. However, it’s been widely reported that Victoria will miss out on the truncated tour, with his majesty expected to spend time in Sydney and Canberra before heading to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Regular readers will recall our editors have banned us from undertaking victory laps, but we can’t help but mention that Tom Parker Bowles, son of Queen Camilla, let the cat out of the bag to CBD last December about the royal visit this October.
Now, we can’t imagine anybody more thrilled about this news than Racing NSW boss, NRL head honcho and unofficial premier of NSW Peter “Showbags” V’landys, who’s been lobbying hard to get the King to attend the Everest race in October. He’s even introduced the $5 million King Charles Stakes to the carnival. What do you know, Everest Day, October 19, lines up perfectly with when we’d expect Charles to be in town.
“We haven’t had confirmation, but we’re still pretty confident he’s going to be there,” Showbags told CBD, noting that Racing NSW was the first jurisdiction to name a race after his majesty, before Royal Ascot followed suit.
“Myself and [then Racing NSW CEO] Russell Balding personally invited him and he was very keen at the time,” he said.
Whatever transpires, it is a physical impossibility for his majesty to attend this year’s Melbourne Cup, which will be staged on November 5 after CHOGM. Which must really sting the chair of Victoria Racing Club, Neil Wilson.
WEDDING OF THE CENTURY
Who said life in the Australian public service couldn’t be glamourous?
Pretty much everyone, so it’s great to note that Australia’s High Commissioner in India Philip Green and consul-general Paul Murphy found themselves among a confluence of global stars who had jetted in from all corners to attend the wedding of Anant Ambani, the nepo baby son of Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, when he finally tied the knot with big pharma heiress Radhika Merchant in Mumbai last weekend.
The marriage of the century, which followed months of “pre-wedding” events that included an Italian cruise, and Rihanna’s first public performance since 2016, boasted a celebrity guest list more bloated than Ambani junior’s bank account.
Kim and Khloe Kardashian, former British leaders Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, wrestler John Cena, and pretty much every Bollywood star and top Indian cricketer worth their salt were among those who showed up to support the energy, telecommunications and media squillionaire family. Justin Bieber played a set a few days earlier, while David Beckham, Drake, Adele and Lana Del Rey were all reportedly on the guest list.
Decked out in a staid black Nehru jacket, Green used the occasion as an opportunity to talk shop with various Indian bureaucrats and government functionaries.
“It was also an opportunity to connect with a range of friends from India’s political & economic leadership,” he wrote on X.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.