Review into QRIC gets under way

The independent review into the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC), announced by the Queensland Racing Minister Grace Grace in December, gets under way today when a steering committee will meet for the first time.

While the review covers all three codes, Cameron Partington, from the Queensland’s Thoroughbred Alliance’s, will be representing the interests of the thoroughbred racing industry … owners, trainers jockeys and breeders.

KPMG have been entrusted with handling the review. The proposed schedule is that the steering committee will meet every two weeks with KPMG officials to discuss a range of issues with the Racing Minister set to receive KPMG’s final report within the first quarter of the year.

Given the strength and tone of a media release issued by Partington on behalf of the Queensland Thoroughbred Alliance when the review was first announced, the importance of this review process and its findings cannot be underestimated.

Part of that media release reads: ‘We believe that a significant change in the culture and management style of QRIC is urgently needed and are hopeful the independent review will assist in determining this.

‘The industry needs and deserves a much-improved working relationship within QRIC, both internally amongst their own people, and externally with its partners being industry participants and the Racing Queensland administration.

‘‘We have given QRIC ample opportunities to develop and strengthen relationships with industry for the betterment of all, but we had felt we could do no more as the gap continued to widen between “us and them”.

‘Our view is also the relationship between QRIC and Racing Qld is also very concerning and the industry as whole was suffering, at a time when we should be thriving on the back of many of the fantastic initiatives and management strategies our industry has benefited from in recent times.’

Clearly the situation demands more than a ‘routine’ review.

Hopefully, when completed, that will have proved to be the case with KPMG findings made available to the greater racing industry so they can feel their concerns have been adequately heard and taken into account.