Embattled GRNSW CEO Rob Macaulay resigns amid controversy & pressure
The Board of Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) yesterday approved the resignation of embattled GRNSW Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rob Macaulay.
A GRNSW statement said that “Mr Macaulay’s decision to resign was an amicable one, and one he felt was best for the industry at this time.”
“The Board wishes to acknowledge his service and leadership of the organisation over the last two years.”
Macaulay’s resignation comes the same day as documents surrounding a 54-page complaint made by former GRNSW Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO), Alex Brittan, were provided to the NSW Parliament.
Macaulay had been under considerable pressure since the existence of the former CVO’s “handover” letter started making news in mid-June 2024.
Macaulay had requested Brittan’s claims be independently investigated by former Victorian Police Commissioner Graham Ashton.
However, mainstream media reported that NSW Racing Minister, David Harris, had been demanding the Board of GRNSW sack CEO Macaulay.
It is understood that the GRNSW Board refused to do so, forcing Harris to issue the whole GRNSW Board with a “show cause” notice as to why they should not all be removed from their appointed roles.
The Board of GRNSW have until 5pm on Friday, July 12, to respond to Harris’ “show cause” notice.
Under the NSW greyhound racing reforms introduced after Mike Baird’s ill-fated NSW greyhound ban, the NSW Racing Minister appoints the Board of GRNSW, but has no direct control over the organisation, nor the CEO.
Macaulay’s decision to step aside, may or may not defuse that standoff between Harris and the GRNSW Board, but there remains every chance NSW could lose both the CEO and Board in the same week, and have an administrator appointed by Harris.
There is no doubt that Macaulay’s decision to leave allows the Racing Minister to “save face”, but it will do little to dispel the rising noise from anti-racing zealots who are once again poised to attempt their own NSW Greyhound Ban 2.0.
Animal Justice Party (AJP) MP, Emma Hurst, has already called for yet another inquiry in to NSW greyhound racing, using Brittan’s as yet untested claims as evidence of widespread industry mismanagement.
The status of Graham Ashton’s independent report into Brittan’s claims is as yet unknown, but some media outlets are reporting that there have been other external investigations into governance at GRNSW that have cost the industry more than $700,000.
There is anecdotal evidence that Macaulay’s management style had “ruffled feathers” both within the NSW greyhound industry and outside it.
Just two weeks ago, it was reported that only last minute crisis talks had headed off a threat from NSW greyhound clubs to strike if GRNSW proceeded with proposed cuts to their club funding levels, as GRNSW looked for ways to deal with a 22.5% fall in betting turnover revenue.
In June 2024, GWIC announced that they were investigating animal welfare concerns at the GRNSW-run Wyee Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) facility. Those complaints arose after Macaulay announced the Wyee facility would be repurposed as a base for greyhounds involved in the “Aussie Mates” US rehoming program in May.
In 2023, the Newscorp-owned Daily Telegraph ran three seperate articles suggesting, and even urging for, an NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry in to Macaulay and GRNSW. The three articles all seemed to have relied on information from within the NSW Racing Minister Harris’ office, despite the fact that GRNSW is not a government department, Macaulay was not a NSW Government employee, and consequently NSW ICAC had no jurisdiction over Macualay or GRNSW.
From an outsiders perspective, it would appear there has been some concerted efforts to undermine Macaulay’s leadership at the helm of GRNSW over an extended period of time. Whether those efforts were coordinated or essentially unrelated remains a mystery.
The tabled documents that were the catalyst for Macaulay’s announcement yesterday, will be formally and publicly presented to the government today, Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
Among the documents expected to be tabled today will be GWIC’s official response to the Brittan letter, which should prove interesting reading given Brittan has claimed that the real figures related to greyhound deaths are as much as three times greater than what GWIC have officially reported.
GWIC are a NSW government department, who were established to administer the NSW greyhound industry regulatory functions such as integrity and animal welfare. They operate entirely independently of GRNSW, the GRNSW Board, and the GRNSW CEO.
Former Dapto and Richmond Greyhound Race Club Manager, Wayne Billett, who currently serves as GRNSW’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, will step into the role of Acting CEO with immediate effect.
It may be an extremely short tenure for Billett though, if Harris follows through on Friday with threats to replace the entire GRNSW Board and the Acting CEO with an administrator.
NSW greyhound racing participants should brace for the ensuing media “fire storm” that will land on greyhound racing shores later today, once the public becomes aware of Brittan’s allegations.
While Macaulay’s departure will no doubt take some heat “out of the fire”, there is no doubt that the future of NSW greyhound racing is again very much in the hands of NSW politicians, and not the industry itself.
Good. Shit lawyer. Shit CEO. Shit human. Couldn’t happen to a better arsehole.