Mark Latham placed on 12-month good behaviour order over racetrack outburst

Independent MP Mark Latham has avoided having his membership of the Australian Turf Club stripped following a run-in at Rosehill racecourse, but has been warned he will be suspended for 12 months if he denigrates club officials.

Latham was investigated over an incident involving ATC head of corporate affairs and government relations Steve McMahon during a race meet at the western Sydney track this month.

Mark Latham has been the subject of two separate investigations over the racecourse incident.Credit: Dean Sewell

It is understood he appeared before the club’s board earlier this week and was informed of its decision to impose a 12-month good behaviour order on Wednesday night.

The ATC said in a statement it had commissioned an independent report into Latham’s conduct at Rosehill in April and issued him with a 12-month suspended sanction.

The club said Latham had agreed to several conditions, among them that he refrain from making public comments, including on social media, “that disparage ATC operations pertaining to staff”.

He must also act in accordance with the ATC members’ code of conduct in all dealings with club staff, ATC members and the board and remain a financial member, according to the ruling.

Latham at Randwick racecourse last November.Credit: James Brickwood

The ATC said it would provide Latham with “a direct customer service channel for constructive feedback”.

“If found guilty of any breach of these conditions during the next 12 months, Mr Latham will receive a 12-month suspension, without further warning,” the ATC said.

The state’s horse racing industry regulator and commercial operator, Racing NSW, has commissioned a separate investigation into the Latham-McMahon incident, which is being carried out by former Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission chief executive and Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Michael Phelan.

Attempts to contact Latham on Thursday were unsuccessful.

A fervent critic of the ATC proposal to sell Rosehill to the state government for $5 billion and of Racing NSW and its powerful chief executive Peter V’landys, the NSW Upper House politician has previously vowed to continue scrutinising the industry.

He said last week on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was about to be banned from NSW racetracks for telling McMahon, a long-time friend of NSW Premier Chris Minns, that “he wasn’t welcome in a private conversation” at Rosehill.

“Oh yes, he was walking straight towards me to find out what was being said, as I tried to explain to four other ATC members what the upper house documents say about sale of Rosehill,” Latham posted.

Latham has said he only swore at McMahon once and told him how he believed members had been duped in the Rosehill sale proposal process.

He has been scathing of the postponement of a vote by ATC members to decide whether to sell Rosehill to make way for as many as 25,000 homes, saying he believed it was called off because most members were voting against it.

Online voting began in mid-March, but six days before the numbers were due to be tallied at an April 3 extraordinary meeting, Racing NSW instructed the ATC to push it back to May 12, saying members had been given insufficient information. The ATC has since delayed the EGM again until May 27, announcing that the voting would start again with new resolutions.

Latham has taken the ATC to task over other issues as well.

“The Australian Turf Club is the most shit club,” he posted on X this week.

“Over two weeks and no refund on the money they took for a booking on a cancelled meeting. On Boxing Day: 20 deep to get a drink, 90 minute wait for food.”

He added, about the cancellation of the sale vote, that “a weak and vacuous board [was] treating its members with contempt”.

“We pay $600pa for the honour. Gawd,” he said.

The ATC said the extra time before members voted again would ensure they could give proper consideration to the “Yes” and “No” cases in full.

ATC chairman Peter McGauran argues the sale would secure the club financially into the next century.

“This vote is one of the most significant in the club’s history,” he said. “We want to ensure that every member has time to consider all of the information, ask questions, and make their own decision with confidence. We remain focused on a respectful and open process.″⁣

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