Brisbane Racing Club chairman Kevin Dixon has resigned to take up a position as a board member of Racing Queensland Limited.
Dixon’s decision is expected to ultimately lead to him taking up the vacant role as chairman of Queensland’s governing race body from May 1.
BRC board member Bill Sexton, a director of the former Queensland Turf Club which merged with the Brisbane Turf Club, has replaced Dixon as the club’s interim chairman.
The development follows the resignations of RQL chairman Bob Bentley and board members Bill Ludwig and Tony Hamner on Tuesday.
Sexton has been a member of the BRC board since its inception in 2009 when the two Brisbane clubs merged.
Dixon said he planned to meet with RQL staff on Wednesday to assure them their jobs were safe in the wake of the mass resignations at racing’s Deagon headquarters since last month’s election of the LNP government.
Four senior executives – Malcolm Tuttle, Jamie Orchard, Paul Brennan and Shara Reid – resigned recently and reportedly received payouts totalling $1.7 million.
It is understood Dixon’s first tasks as RQL chairman will be to implement the LNP country racing policy, restructure and move the Integrity services department to government and undertake a full analysis of the financial situation and commitments of RQL.
Bentley was committed to scaling back country racing and was highly criticised in regional areas for reducing the number of country race dates.
Dixon has been under pressure for some time to take over RQL and is looking forward to the challenge.
“I’ve always said I’d assist the LNP in whatever way I could,” Dixon said.
“I’m excited to be involved to implement the LNP policy to revitalise racing right throughout the State.
