The Tasmanian government is preparing for an overhaul of the Tasracing board, with four of the seven positions at the state-based racing regulator being advertised.
Advertisements were placed this week for two non-executive code directors and two non-executive commercial directors for Tasracing, with the terms of four current board members set to expire in November.
David Garnier and Michael Gordon will be exiting the board as they have served maximum terms, meaning there will be at least two new faces. The terms of directors Suze Jacobsen and Steve Old are also due to expire by the end of the year; however, they are eligible to reapply for another term.
The Straight understands possible candidates are being canvassed nationally for the role, while Chapman Executive has been enlisted to conduct recruitment and began advertising this week.
The current term of Gene Phair, who has been Tasracing chairman since 2018, is set to expire next May. Under the legislation which limits board directors to two terms, he will be required to step down.
The Tasracing Board has seven directors, comprising a chairperson, three directors with experience and expertise in the three codes of racing, and three directors with the necessary skills to enable it to achieve its objectives.
Under the Act, code directors must be either a member of a thoroughbred or greyhound racing club, a member of a thoroughbred or greyhound racing industry association, licensed under the Rules of Racing for the thoroughbred or greyhound codes of racing, or an owner or breeder of thoroughbred horses or greyhounds.
The new board members would be required to oversee the transition away from greyhound racing, which the Rockliff government has confirmed will take place by 2029 after a shock political backflip following July’s state election.
Tasracing is also playing a key role in discussions with the government around the extension of the current funding deed, which expires in June 2029. Racing Minister Jane Howklett is expected to confirm details of what they may look like by the end of the year.
Nonetheless, the uncertainty over future funding, plus the sudden end to greyhound racing, has participants nervous about what racing in the island state may look like after 2029.
The regulator has also been charged with administering day-to-day integrity functions under a new structure introduced last February.
That change in structure has not been without its issues, with three stewards recently dismissed after it was discovered that they had been betting on races.
